The Shadow of Valla
by XDarkRider
Summary: Corrin fights to protect Nohr even if it meant having to venture into the unknown to slay a Dragon God. With the help of the fallen spirit of Garon and a trio of dragon hunter's he will discover the secret behind Valla and defeat Anankos to save the Kingdom and family he loves. (Spoilers for Hidden Truth)
1. Prologue

Prologue

The Bottomless Canyon; he never thought he would be back here of all places, in such a predicament no less. Corrin tightened his grip on his steel sword; there was no escape, all of his troops have been killed and all that remained was him and Felicia against the Hoshido army. He stood at the edge of the cliff the tip of the blade Yato pointed at his heart. He stared into the eyes of his twin sister, Kamui; the sadness in her eyes was all he needed to see. She was hurting, war has changed her, she wasn't the same girl he knew from his childhood.

The fate of the twins was split in two, having to choose between Hoshido and Nohr. It was a choice that changed their lives and everything they knew. Kamui had chosen to side with Hoshido in order to enact justice for their fallen mother. He however, had sided with Nohr; not because he supported King Garon and his reign; no, he sided with Nohr because he could not bear the thought of betraying the family that raised him. Xander, Camilla, Leo and Elise; they were the people he loved and cared for, as they did the same for him, they were his family whether blood connected them or not. He was also aware of the condition of Nohr; more so than his twin who focused her duties training to become a better fighter; he on the other hand focused on his studies; politics, culture, language; everything he needed to have a better understanding of Nohr. Darkness, disease, death; they are what make up the current state of their kingdom. The people were starving and dying, doomed to live under the darkness forever; it was something he couldn't bear to think about.

His arrangement was difficult; he may have managed to maintain his position as a prince of Nohr, but there was still tension between himself and King Garon. Corrin knew that what the king was doing was wrong, in fact he would even go as far as saying that it was evil. But he couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. As a child, Xander, Camilla and even Leo have told him stories of the old king; they described him to be kind and caring, nothing like he was now. But that only got Corrin thinking; what could have caused such a change, something must have changed the man, his siblings seemed to know the reason, but they refused to tell him. Never the less, Corrin was determined to find out the truth, he could see the small glimmer of hope and that was enough for him to know that there was a chance to change Nohr for the better.

Corrin turned to look down; any further and he would plummet to his death, either way he was doomed to die. He looked back to his twin, though he could see the pain, he could also see her determination. Kamui has always been his better, always the more social one, always the more active one. Her combat prowess far exceeded his own and though their Nohrian siblings loved them equally, he couldn't help but feel inferior to her; maybe that was the reason why the Yato had chosen her over him. He knew her reasons for siding with Hoshido and he didn't blame her for joining their blood family, but he couldn't help but feel betrayed, the thought that she would turn her back on the very people who loved them as their own, the same people who celebrated all those birthdays with them, the same people who taught them how to read and write, the same people who were there for them when they were sad. He couldn't help but feel that Kamui was being ungrateful.

"You can still change your mind" Kamui told him, her blade not wavering from its mark. Corrin could only smile sadly at her.

"I'm sorry Kamui, I can't. I can't turn my back of them" he said. Kamui gritted her teeth.

"I know what you are saying; but can't you see the suffering Garon has caused! He needs to be stopped!" Corrin didn't say anything at first, only glancing slightly to the side where Felicia was being restrained. The maid watched him, terrified. She didn't know what to do; ever since the twin's path separated, everything has gone downhill for Nohr. Skirmish after skirmish, they have lost; their military was withering away; they were losing this war.

"There is more than meets the eye sister" Corrin says, his response only angered Kamui.

"There is nothing more to it! King Garon is evil he needs to be put down! Only then can we achieve peace!" staring blankly at her, Corrin frowned.

"What of the people?" he countered. "The resources in Nohr are already scarce; even with Leo's Brynhildr, the land in Nohr cannot support such life. After this war is over, there will be nothing left to feed the people"

"Hoshido will help Nohr rebuild, and with Xander on the throne, a peace treaty between the two kingdoms will actually be possible" Kamui countered. Corrin eyed her.

"Will it? The Hoshidan's already hate us Nohrian's, do you honestly think they will help us willingly?" Kamui wanted to counter but Corrin cut her off. "If peace is to be achieved for both Kingdoms, there must be an understanding between the people. Yes, the Hoshidan's can learn to cooperate, but it is a slow process, the same with the Nohrian's. However you must understand, Sister; time is not something Nohr has. Right now, at the way this war is going, Nohr will be no more. It won't matter if we get a new king, our kingdom will collapse".

"You underestimate Hoshido's resources, once this war is over, there is enough to feed the people, we can help them rebuild what is lost. Sure the people may be hostile at first but I'm sure with Ryoma, he can persuade them to help"

"And Nohr will forever be in Hoshido's dept, they will be a slave to another kingdom" at this Kamui didn't say anything, she remained silent. But that was all he needed to hear.

" _Kamui!_ " he heard Takumi call out in the Hoshidan language. " _Just tie him up, it's obvious that he won't listen to what you have to say_ " Corrin turned to his sister, to see what she would do.

"Corrin; lay down your weapon and come with us" she said. "You may be our prisoner but you and Felicia will be treated well. I promise" lowering her sword, Kamui approached him. This prompted him to raise his sword stopping her in her tracks. He shook his head.

"No, I won't be a prisoner that can be used to bargain with. If you truly want to get rid of me, you will have to kill me" Kamui stared in shock, this was very unlike her brother. He was normally very quiet and did what he was told.

"Don't make this difficult Corrin, think about our family, how would they feel" she eyed his feet knowing any minute her brother could just step back and fall to his death.

"Then I guess it is my turn to be selfish. I won't be used as a bargaining chip"

"Don't you see! If you die, how will Xander, Camilla, Leo and Elise feel? You and I both know Xander; if he finds out that you've been killed, who knows how long this war will continue to last. If you are alive at least there is a chance that it will force Nohr to lay down their arms and end this bloodshed!" Corrin halted his step. His sister was right; but then again, the one with the most influence was Garon, and he knew the king would not give in to such weakness; but there was choice that needed to be made. If there was even a small chance that his capture would put his siblings out of the war, that would be a major hit on the Nohrian military, it could convince Garon to admit defeat. He knew the aftermath wouldn't be pretty, but the main priority was to finish this war. He was hesitant but he finally lowered his sword, he saw Kamui smile with relief. He started to move forward; when there was a flash of blue and a pain on his chest; looking down he saw a magic arrow stuck in his chest, he looked up and saw Takumi with his bow raised. He saw the emptiness in his eyes, they were possessed.

"Iago..." he whispered; he should have known something like this would happen. Ever since he returned to Nohr, the snake of an advisor has always resented him, doing everything in his power to disrupt his success; why would now be any different.

"Lord Corrin!" he heard Falicia scream.

"Corrin!" Kamui looked horrified as she quickly tried to grab his hand. He was just out of reach but she was close enough to hear his last words.

"Protect everybody..." Corrin whispered before falling into the abyss below.

* * *

Corrin felt like he was floating; it was odd, the pain in chest was gone and the last thing he remembered was falling into the Bottomless Canyon. Opening his eyes, he found himself in a world of white. He sat up looking at the ground; it was solid yet was not.  
"Is this the afterlife?" he whispered.

"No" a booming voice echoed. Corrin scrambled to his feet. His gaze met a man's own.

"Xander?" he questioned, but immediately knew it wasn't him. The man certainly looked like him but he could see some vague differences.

"I would certainly hope I look like my son" Corrin's eyes widened when he spoke those words.

"King Garon?" the man chuckled at his surprise.

"That's right" he stepped forward. "And you are Corrin; my adoptive son" Corrin stepped back; he didn't know what was going on. The man he knew as King Garon was an old man sitting on the throne back in Castle Krakenburg. The man before him was young; probably only older than Xander by a few years, added, there was an aura of power and authority emanating from him; very different from the Garon he knew who had an aura of evil and hatred. The man here felt more approachable.  
"What did you mean this isn't the afterlife?" Garon grunted turning away looking around.

"Something has bound us together, to this place; the border between life and death. A boundary for those who have been banished from death" Corrin didn't know what to say. "You have been cursed, Corrin, cursed with eternal life".

"What? Are you saying I'm going to be stuck here for all eternity?" Garon shook his head.

"Not exactly, you still possess a physical form. You have the power to return to the living, however, should you die once again; you will be taken here" Corrin got a good look of his surroundings. There was nothing but endless white; it was sort of trippy to him. "Then what about you?"

"As you may already have figured out, my real body is being controlled by another entity. The man you call King Garon is nothing more than a soulless puppet"

"Then you are the True Garon's soul?" Garon nodded solemnly.

"I'm afraid so" Corrin looked away, many revelations came to him; finally realizing the tyranny behind Nohr's leadership and the cruilty the current Garon had towards his subjects. He whipped his head around.

"Is there a way to bring you back?" Garon stared at the boy, he could see the hope in his eyes and that stirred something within himself; Determination.

"You wish for me to reclaim my place on the throne" Corrin nodded.

"If we can have you reclaim your body, you can put an end to this war. The bloodshed can finally end"

"I understand your excitement. I have seen the destruction and death the other me has caused and would like nothing but to put an end to it as well" Corrin frowned, expecting a 'but' in his words. "However it is not that simple. For me to reclaim my body we must eliminate the influence that inhabits it" Of course, Corrin thought; nothing was ever that simple.

"Do you know who?"

"Does the name Anankos ring any bells?" it certainly did; it was the dragon god that the other Garon worshiped. "Anankos the Silent Dragon. He is the one who rules over the Kingdom of Valla"

"Valla?" Corrin asked, this was the first time he's heard of such place; he has read many books, courtesy of Leo, who snuck him history books whenever he would visit the Northern Fortress. Many of them held reports of legendary battles and the fall of great kingdoms, the name Valla was never mentioned in any of them.

"Yes, a Kingdom hidden between the border of Nohr and Hoshido. A place filled with mystery; I do not know much about it, but it certainly exists"

"Do you know how to get there?" Garon shook his head "That is all I need to hear. We should learn how to venture there and once we do we can defeat Anankos" dumbstruck, the king stared at the boy like he was mad.

"And how do you intend to accomplish such feet? Anankos is a being of great power; no being has ever survived his wrath" Corrin however was not frightened.

"Everything has a weakness; we just need to find and exploit it" Garon folded his arms raising a brow.

"Oh? And who taught you that" Corrin chuckled.

"Your son, Leo" Garon let out a small grin, but Corrin caught it. "Then it is settled. We will leave this place, search for the secret to defeating Anankos and have you reclaim the throne of Nohr"

"We?" the king questioned finally catching Corrin's words.

"Of course, you said it yourself, we are bound. If I am leaving this place, then so are you. We will do this together" Garon couldn't help but stare. There was something about the boy that intrigued him. The determination and hope that drives him; though a little naive, but who wasn't during their life; it was something that experience can fix. Corrin was a boy who looked for opportunity rather than dwell in the past. A beacon of hope for Nohr; he could see it, Corrin would be the one that could lead Nohr to a brighter future. Garon watched Corrin stretch out his hand. "For the future of Nohr" smiling at the boy, he accepted his hand as they shook on their new partnership.

"For Nohr".

* * *

 **Some of you might have already realized; but I got this idea from Shadow of Mordor. This is going to be story about Corrin and Garon's journey to discover the history behind Valla and how to defeat Anankos (as he mentioned above); and if you do decide to follow this story, I will outright and say that some of the things will be heavily influenced by Dark Soul's (I'm a big fan of the series).  
**

 **I felt like the games never went into depth with Garon. The Nohrian siblings say that he used to be kind and caring and I found that to be very interesting, it was never explored in the game and I think that was some missed opportunity. The change that Garon underwent would have made the plot line of the Fate's game better (at least for Conquest). In this story I hope to explore that side of Garon.**

 **Upon reading the prologue you may have also realized that both Corrin and Kamui have distinct personalities. Kamui, being the more brash one, a warrior and Corrin the calculating one, a tactician. I wasn't a big fan of Corrin/Kamui's character in the game (found him/her to be too annoying; and I get that he/she was locked in a tower for all his/her life, but come on...). In this story their personalities will be different, so I guess you could say they will be out of character for the most part.**

 **Review and tell me what you think and how I can improve.**


	2. A Parallel World

**Sorry this took so long to put up, I was having trouble with how to bring Corrin back into the real world. To tell you the truth there are actually five different versions of this chapter but I didn't feel like any of them were good enough. So after much planning I finally came up with this! Hope you enjoy it and tell me what you think!**

* * *

Corrin felt himself being dragged along the ground, he tried to catch his bearings but found his mind in jumbles, memories were scattered; the last thing he remembered was being in a place of white and speaking with Garon. Corrin cracked his eye open only to meet the ground. He wanted to move but found himself completely drained of strength; he managed to turn his head to the side finding two soldiers carrying him; Corrin didn't recognize the armor, it was neither Nohrian nor Hoshidan. The two soldiers stopped and dropped him to the ground, a sharp pain coursed through his body when he hit the hard surface; the sound of metal footsteps caught his attention however; he glanced up, his vision still groggy but was able to make out the outline of an armored person.

"What do we have here?" a female voice asked.

"We found him unconscious outside the fortress gates, he was unarmed" one of the soldiers reported. The armored woman bent down grabbing Corrin by the chin, she tilted his head up and stared him in the eyes. Corrin's vision was finally returning but could not see the woman's face only the visor of her charred helmet. Oddly enough the two stared at each other for a while almost as if they were greeting in silence. The woman released Corrin allowing his face to plant back onto the ground.

"Take him to the crypt where he belongs" she said.

* * *

Corrin was once again thrown onto the ground, but this time the impact woke him up fully. He heard the metal sound of the gates close behind him before he stumbled onto his feet; looking around, there was a strong eerie silence, the flickering fire of torches was unsettling and the coffins that lay resting against the walls was nothing but horrifying. Garon's spirit appeared next to Corrin observing the surroundings.

"This place is fitting for a king like me" he said.

"Don't kill yourself off just yet; we still need you to take the throne" Corrin responded. Garon let out a short chuckle.

"Of course, but for now we should find a way to escape" Corrin nodded turning back to the darkness.

"Indeed; however I'm against venturing deeper, we do not know what lurks in this crypt, we could run into danger and I don't have a weapon to defend myself"

"That may be so, but there is nothing to be gained staying here either"

"So your saying we should take the risk" Garon nodded.

"If we do not venture forward, we achieve nothing" Corrin sighed, eyeing the darkness, he felt shivers down his spine; but Garon was right, they needed to move deeper, it was that or stay and rot. Corrin grabbed a torch and taking a much needed deep breath to calm his nerves.

With each step Corrin could hear echoes loud enough to wake the dead; the skulls littered on the ground didn't help either they stared at him, almost as if they were waiting to strike him down when he least expect it. The hollow wind blowing passed him felt like soulless hands grappling onto his skin, everything about the place was just unnerving. But that was when he heard it, a soft tune lingering in the air, it was melodic and very familiar.

"That song..." Corrin mumbled, it could be a trap, but he didn't exactly care, the thought of finding someone in these tunnels was a chance he wasn't about to let pass.

As Corrin ventured deeper, the song started to get louder and before he knew it, Corrin was in a vast opening with a large lake in the middle. The area was vastly different from the narrow corridors of the crypt, almost like entering a completely different world; the air was fresh and unlike the lonely chill from the crypt, this area had a welcoming warmth; the place was lit up by a beam of light coming from a hole in the ceiling, and the lake water glimmered like diamonds, it was beautiful. Standing by the edge of the lake was a person; Corrin couldn't exactly make out who it was, but he approached them.

"Excuse me!" he called out, the person turned around.

"Corrin?" a woman's voice exclaimed while turning around, when she saw him she started walking towards him; Corrin halted in his steps, not sure what to do.

"Corrin" the woman repeated. "It's me, Azura" Corrin looked stunned, by both the revelation and the thought that he would meet the mysterious girl here of all places. But something was off, her voice sounded nothing like Azura. The woman pulled back her hood revealing long pale blue hair and an old wrinkled face. "It's me Azura" she repeated. Corrin was left speechless, a light shined over him causing Azura to frown. "No... you're not Corrin, you're not my Corrin" the old woman looked disappointed walking away.

"Wait!" Corrin called out chasing after the woman, he grabbed her by the shoulder, spinning her to face him allowing Corrin to get a good look at the woman; it was indeed Azura albeit much older, she looked to be in her eighties, which was impossible since he was sure that Azura was still in her late teens, around his age.

"It is me, Corrin" he said, Azura stared at him before shaking his hand away.

"No you're not, no need to lie to this old lady, I can tell when a lie is being told. Now off with you" she said shooing him away. Corrin wasn't really sure how to respond, but he needed to convince the woman about who he was, maybe then, she could help him.

"My mother was Mikoto and I have a twin sister named Kamui" he tried saying but Azura scoffed, waving him away.

"That is common knowledge among people, now leave before I call for help"

"Please wait!" he begged but Azura wasn't having any of it.

"Kamui! Help! This crazy man is harassing me!" at her screams Corrin stopped and back away, but was curious at the mention of his sister. He looked around waiting for Kamui to appear, only to be greeted with silence.

"This is the crazy man, he may look like Corrin but he's obviously not, send him away" Corrin stared blankly at Azura talking to thin air, he wasn't sure how to react, but could only pity the old woman; her look of fear made her seem so hopeless. Azura looked confused looking between Corrin and the empty space next to her. "What do you mean I should trust him? It's obvious this man is an imposter" there was a pause. "Fine, fine, I'll help him, it doesn't mean I'll like it though" Azura glared at Corrin before sighing deeply, she beckoned him to follow. "Come on then, for some reason Kamui seems to want me to take you in".

It was odd, Azura was much different than what Corrin remembered when he was in Hoshido; gone was the soft spoken girl, the old woman before him was aggressive and hostile, not that he blamed her, after all he just appeared without warning, anyone would be on alert, but that still didn't change the fact Azura was acting different from what he was used to. Corrin followed her to a small cottage situated by the water; the inside was cozy enough for one person, a second would make for a tight squeeze but still habitable. Azura moved towards the fire place warming up her hands; Corrin looked around the house, there was all the basic necessities one would need along with some leisurely items, the shelf of books caught his eye.

"Well? What are you doing standing there for? Sit!" the woman shouted, Corrin stumbled to a wooden stool, his movements nervous and robotic; taking a seat he sat in silence, unsure what to say, in fear of provoking Azura he needed to be careful with his words.

"Um..." he started.

"Speak up!" she interrupted. Corrin taken back cleared his throat, trying again.

"I would like to know where I am" he finally asked.

"My home of course" Azura answered as if it was the most stupid question ever. Corrin could only stare blankly; he really had a hard time believing this old woman was Azura.

"No, I mean this land, this kingdom, what is this place called?" he tried again. The old lady rolled her eyes mumbling something under her breath, Corrin was unable to make out the words but for some reason he felt insulted.

"Valla" she said. Corrin took a moment for it to sink before jumping up.

"What?" he yelled, which made Azura angry.

"Be quiet! Your loud voice is hard on my ears" she scolded; Corrin apologetic shut his mouth and sat down. Azura looked to a corner before sighing.

"Fine, fine Kamui, whatever you say" she turned back to Corrin. "Kamui says you are a Corrin from a different realm and asks how you got here?"

"I'm not sure? I fell into the Bottomless Canyon and woke up here" he spoke half the truth, deciding to keep silent about Garon in fear of Azura acting out in fear.

"Never heard of such a place" she answered. Odd, the Bottomless Canyon was very well known amongst the people as the border that separates Nohr and Hoshido; speaking of the two Kingdoms.

"Really? Then how about Nohr or Hoshido?" Azura shook her head. Corrin leaned back, this certainly was surprising news and to some extent troubling for him.

"However I have heard of tales about two great kingdoms, one shrouded in dark the other bathed in light, these two kingdoms were at war with one another before a plague consumed the two kingdoms wiping out all the people. A sad tale, but one we usually tell our children to scare them" Corrin blinked, the description certainly matches and if there are stories then there are books, if he could get his hands on some he might be able to find some clues on how to get home.

"I don't suppose you know how to cross between realms, do you?" he decided to try and ask.

"Of course I don't! Who do you think I am? Some sort of know it all?" she snapped at him.

"Right, I apologies" Azura huffed before making her way to her bed; Corrin called after her. "Wait! I still have so many questions"

"Well they can wait! I'm exhausted" she said preparing for bed.

"Then do you mind if I look through your collection of books?" Corrin asked.

"Do what you want" was her answer before shutting her eyes. Corrin sat in silence a little overwhelmed by everything that has happened in the past few hours; he removed his boots only now realizing how sore his feet were. Without haste he moved to take a look at Azura's collection of books, his eyes immediately locked onto a history book, he pulled it out of the shelf and flicked through the pages, satisfied he placed it on the table; he then found a scroll, rolling it open, his expression brightened at the sight of a map, he placed it next to the history book. However one book in particular stood out, he grabbed it, hands touching the leather cover; flicking through his eyes widened.

"This is a journal..." he mumbled, he glanced at Azura, the old lady was fast asleep. Quickly taking a seat he started reading it.

* * *

The Hoshidan army was in bad shape; they suffered much worse casualties against Corrin's forces than they originally anticipated. More than half of their forces were either injured or dead and they have basically lost all of their healers and a majority of their infantry forces; their supplies were also diminished, most of them destroyed or poisoned by Corrin's troops; at this point moving further into Nohrian territory would be suicide.

Kamui sighed, her twin brother was crafty, resorting to attacking their resources rather than their main force; they may have achieved many tactical victories, but the Nohrians have managed to achieve a strategic victory over them. They needed to return to Hoshido, resupply and have all their wounded treated back in the capital.

"It is going to be difficult to obtain healers" she mumbled pinching the bridge of her nose; after all, the training most competent healers went through was a five year program, time that they didn't have.

"Milady" a voice called from outside her tent.

"What is it Jacob?" she asked, her butler entered with a frustrated expression.

"Sorry to disturb you at this hour, however we have a problem with our prisoner" Kamui frowned at his choice of words.

"Please refrain from referring to Felicia as our prisoner Jacob, she may not be my retainer but she has served my brother for many years now and is someone I consider a friend, she should at least deserve our respect" Jacob looking embarrassed bowed apologetically.

"Forgive my choice of words milady, I was not thinking" Kamui smiled waving him off.

"No need to apologize, but tell me what seems to be the problem?"

"The priso... I mean Felicia has refused to touch any of the meals we give her" he told her. Kamui frowned, this was indeed troubling news. She stood up.

"I'll go speak to her" Jacob of course was against this.

"Milady, surely you don't need to do such a thing" Kamui smiled making her way out of her tent.

"Don't worry Jacob, I'm simply going to see a friend, I'm sure once I speak to her I can convince her to eat something" despite Kamui's optimism, Jacob was still doubtful about the whole thing.

Their prison wasn't exactly a prison, just an empty tent with a candle to light up the room. Kamui waved to the two soldiers standing guard, they acknowledged her entering. Upon entering Kamui saw Felica sat on the ground completely motionless, her tray of food set to the side having gone cold.

"Felicia" Kamui called out, but no response. "Felicia it's me Kamui, please speak to me" the maid turned her head slightly before looking back to the ground.

"Felicia!" Jacob yelled. "Show some respect to Lady Kamui, you should be grateful that Lady Kamui is even taking the time to see you at this hour!" Kamui sighed looking at her butler.

"Jacob, please"

"My apologies Milady, but she must understand her situation, she is no longer a retainer but our prisoner"

"I know Jacob, but if she is to warm up to us we should first show her our kindness" Kamui argued back once again frowning at her butlers choice of words. Jacob sighed stepping back. Kamui turned her attention back to Felicia who remained unmoving; the young Princess then looked to the tray of food.

"Is the meal not to your liking? I could have Jacob cook up something that is more suitable to your tastes" Kamui figured Felicia wouldn't respond and was about to get closer when the maid spoke.

"Please leave" she said.

"What?" Kamui was a little surprised.

"Please leave Princess of Hoshido, I have no words for you" eyes softened Kamui realized that her brothers retainer was still in mourning.

"Felicia, I understand how you feel, but we cannot let his death hold us back" no reaction so Kamui decided to try a different approach. "Look I'm sure he wouldn't want you to starve, so please eat something, at least for Corrin"

"Do not speak Lord Corrin's name!" Felicia screamed startling both Kamui and Jacob, both of them greatly surprised; they were used to seeing a sweet and clumsy maid, Felicia being so hostile was a big shock to them. Felicia's eyes were shadowed by the bangs of her hair, but you could hear the rage in her voice. "You don't deserve to speak his name! Lord Corrin loved you Princess, so much that through his entire campaign he did his best not to harm you, and what did you do? You turned his kindness against him!" Felicia's voice dripping with hate; her anger triggered something within Kamui.

"Don't you dare question my love for Corrin!" the Princess screamed back. "I know my brother; he wouldn't make all those silly mistakes, I know he did it to protect me. But this is war, and I will take advantage of every opportunity to keep my forces alive" there was a long silence.

"Yes... every opportunity also means killing Lord Corrin" Felicia's words were like a dagger to Kamui's heart, she clenched her fist, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Felicia! That is enough from you!" Jacob stepped in to try and defend his Master's honor, Kamui however silenced him, she stepped back to take in a deep breath.

Though she didn't show it, Kamui was still getting over the fact that she has just lost her twin brother. The whole thing just went by so fast; she has been beating herself over and over again; she should have been faster, she could have stopped Corrin from falling into the canyon, she could have saved him, but she didn't and she hated herself for that.

Takumi may have been the one to do the deed but she didn't blame him, she knew that he was being possessed by some dark entity and his actions were above his control. The young prince was currently being monitored by Hinoka and Azura to make sure he didn't act out of control again. Kamui sucked in a breath of air, swallowing her sorrow and steeling her resolve.

"Corrin's death was never my intention, had he just surrendered things wouldn't have turned out the way they were. Despite everything that has happened, we were going to welcome him back with open arms, we could have been a family again"

"Princess Kamui" Felicia's voice was ghostly, she turned to look the princess in the eye, both Kamui and Jacob were taken back. "Shut your mouth. I do not care for your excuses nor do I care if you had good intentions, because if I ever get out of here. I will do everything in my power to have my revenge" Felicia was no longer the maid they knew; those eyes she possessed, they weren't one of innocence, nor was it one of a war torn soldier; no Felicia had the eyes of a murderer and she was out for blood.


	3. Into the Depths

**So as you read this chapter you may realize I have chosen to call the Vallite soldiers Fallen instead of going with Invisible soldiers, mainly because I found the idea of invisible enemies kind of stupid in context of the plot (plus I find the name Invisible Soldiers boring, at least give the enemy a name!) The Vallite enemies will be visible to the naked eye in this story.**

* * *

Back in Castle Krakenburg, Lilith paced around her room in the servants quarters. After hearing about Corrin's supposed disappearance the servant girl has been trying to figure out what to do; she didn't believe the young prince was dead, there was a feeling in her gut telling her that Corrin was still alive. There was a knock on her door which was alarming considering the time of night; Lilith was hesitant at first but soon cracked the door open only to find the three people she least wanted to see.

"Greetings fair maiden, I hope we are not bothering you at this time, but we have some urgent business that we must discuss" Laslow greeted her; Lilith looked between the three a little wary of what they wanted. Selena crossed her arms, sighing with great irritation.

"Just let us in" she growled, her threatening tone caused Lilith to jump pulling the door open. The three waltzed in; Lilith was quick to shut the door behind them.

"I do believe this is our first time meeting after our..." Laslow paused choosing his words carefully. "Encounter in the Outrealm's" Lilith eyed all three of them noticing Selena in particular had her hand over the grip of her sword. She raised her hands up defensively.

"Please, I understand we were once enemies, but I am not a threat, in fact I am here to protect Lord Corrin as well" Selena narrowed her eyes.

"And why should we believe you?" Lilith stepped back, she may not be as skilled in hand to hand combat, but she did at least have her magic to defend herself; luckily Odin stepped between them before things got out of hand.

"Now, now, let us stop this hostility and come to terms with each other, it is not within our blood to be so unreasonable" He said to Selena before turning to Lilith. "Speak now, and tell us why you have come to this place" Selena mumbled curses under her breath while crossing her arms looking grumpy.

"Anankos, the one who brought you here, he saved my life even after I tried to kill him, he treated me like a daughter" a sad smile adorned Lilith's lips as she remembered the events. "I had to repay that kindness, so I promised to watch over the twins" she explained causing skepticism from the three, Laslow in particular had to voice his concern.

"Really? Just like that? You were ready to kill him before and now you're ready to help him?" Lilith looked at her hand, a small smile gracing her lips.

"At first I only intended to observe, I wanted to know what my brother and sister were like, but after getting into an accident Lord Corrin and Lady Kamui found me and nursed me back to health. I owe them my life" Selena raised a brow not at all convinced.

"I still don't buy it, you're saying both Lord Corrin and Lady Kamui just found you lying close by the Northern Fortress and took you in? I highly doubt Gunter would let that happen" the red head said while Lilith scratched her cheek.

"I wasn't exactly in a human form when they took me in"

"Explain" Selena demanded.

"When they found me, I was a small bird"

"A bird?" Odin repeated. Lilith nodded.

"Yes, I can transform myself into a small bird" Odin's eyes lit up forgetting all sort of tension between them.

"That's pretty amazing, you have to show me!" he requested with a bright smile, Laslow nodded in agreement.

"I am also interested in this ability of yours" the two moved towards Lilith, a little too close for the servant girl's comfort. Selena however had other ideas, she grabbed both Laslow and Odin by the ear pulling them back.

"We have more important business to attend to, than stick around watching some magic tricks" she looked at Lilith. "I don't care if you are our enemy or ally right now, because right now you are going to help us" Lilith looked confused.

"Are you planning to defect over to Lady Kamui's side?" she asked. Selena scoffed.

"As much as that would be the logical thing to do, we don't plan to betray our lieges. No you're going to help us find Lord Corrin" Lilith wanted to say something but kept her mouth shut.

"You don't believe him to be dead" Laslow said surprising Lilith, he chuckled. "I can see it in your eyes, which is good, because we are counting on that belief" Lilith stared at the three warriors and couldn't help but smile inwardly, her father really did choose some of the best.

"The Bottomless Canyon leads to many realms, I can do my best to trace onto Lord Corrin's presence, but that sort of magic attracts beasts, I'll need you three to protect me"

"Leave it to us" Odin exclaimed. "Those foul beasts will fall before my Spell Hand!"

"You're too loud Odin" Selena hissed. "What will happen if people hear us?" Laslow sighed.

"Too late already" he said opening the door only for Flora to stumble in.

"Great..." Selena mumbled. "How much did you hear?" Laslow shut the door behind Flora and blocking her in; the blue haired maid was surprisingly calm, not at all intimidated by them.

"Everything" was all she needed to say to send Lilith into a panic; Flora sighed before looking at Selena. "Just tell me if you're telling the truth. Is Lord Corrin alive?"

"We don't know" Laslow answered. "But Lilith here believes him to be alive and that's what we're counting on" Flora frowned, she had hoped they were basing their assumptions on facts rather than gut feeling, but at the moment she was willing to try anything if it meant bringing back her Lord.

"Then take me with you, I may not be as skilled as Felicia but I can hold my own"

"Why are you going so far for Lord Corrin? Didn't you betray him before?" Selena asked, at this Flora looked down ashamed.

"That is precisely why. He accepted me back even though I tried to kill him, he showed me compassion when I scorned him" she clenched her fist eyes now filled with determination. "I may not have been the best retainer before, but now, now I will go to hell and back for him, he is my Lord and I will place it upon my duty to dedicate my life for him. So please, if it means to bring back Lord Corrin, then take me with you" the three royal retainers looked at each other; both Laslow and Odin were nodding at Selena who was shaking her head with disapproval, however both men were insistent forcing the redhead to eventually cave, she grumbled.

"Fine!" she pointed at Flora. "But you follow all of our instructions, understand?" Flora nodded.

"I understand".

* * *

Corrin had no idea what he was reading, sure he could read small bits and pieces of the entries, but they were all filler, nothing important, the rest of it however was written in a foreign language, words he's never seen before; he could feel magical power emanating from the text, something that could be found in magical tomes, this intrigued Corrin, he needed to find out more. He turned to Azura, the old woman still fast asleep; she would probably know more about it, but waking her up sounded like a very bad idea. He shut the mysterious journal and turned to the other book, one about history and culture, something that he was more familiar with, the fact it was in a language he could read was of course a plus.

He frowned at the mention of Anankos, it was a name mentioned many times throughout his read; in fact with the Silent Dragon's reputation he was surprised to find out how close of an ally the dragon used to be with Vallite royal's, in fact based on records, it would seem that Anankos and the many generation of Kings were good friends; whether or not it would be the same in his world was yet to be determined but it was still interesting to learn; Corrin could only wonder how Anankos turned out the way he was now.

Reading further, Corrin found himself fascinated by the many heroes documented over time, all of them blessed with great power and skill, but ultimately that same gift was their ultimate downfall; it's quite tragic really. But despite all of this new information, there was nothing that brought him closer to Anankos.

"What do you make of all this?" he asked out loud.

"Do not be disheartened, the fact we were able to learn something about the Silent Dragon was more than what I anticipated we would find" Garon replied sensing his frustration. "However, if we are in a separate realm, wouldn't that mean that there would be another Anankos?"

"That's what I thought as well; I was thinking that if we can expose Anankos' weakness here we should be able to do the same back home"

"That is a logical way of thinking about this, but you should know there is the possibility that such weaknesses will not apply to our world's Anankos"

"Yes, but it is still information that we can use to bring us closer to our goal" Garon's gaze observed Corrin closely.

"It is good to be optimistic Corrin, but be careful, do not let it blind your judgment" he told him, Corrin frowned but nodded. "For now, how do you plan to escape?" at his question, Corrin rolled out the map, tracing the paths within the crypt.

"There is a path that leads deeper underground, and according to what Azura wrote here, it leads to a place called the Hall of Heroes and from there we can escape to the outside"

"Hall of Heroes? Is it a shrine?"

"According to the book it's a grave dedicated to all of Valla's fallen heroes and kings"

"Kings even? I would think they would separate where they bury their rulers"

"Different country, different cultures, I guess here in Valla their heroes are respected on the same level as kings" standing up he looked around; he didn't spot any weapons, not even a staff he could use as a makeshift weapon, he didn't want to venture deeper without something to defend himself, he would have to wait for Azura to wake and ask her about these tunnels. He kept on reading until he dozed off.

* * *

Hours have past when Corrin snapped his eyes open at the whiff of something delicious. Sitting up his back ached, most likely from his abnormal sleeping posture; Azura placed a bowl of soup in front of him.

"Eat" she told him. Corrin looked thankful, his stomach growled from the wonderful smell; he hasn't eaten anything in a while and taking a sip was bliss, he smiled while Azura took a seat across from him.

"You seem to have kept yourself busy" she said looking at the books, she eyed the journal in particular.

"I've been trying to grasp onto my situation" he explained. "I've been reading about some of this land's history and I must say, a lot of Valla's history is built up from your Heroes, I guess that's why you have a tomb dedicated them" Azura stared at him, her expression ever so stoic, which actually made Corrin a little uncomfortable; she stared at him in complete silence while he awkwardly took sips of his soup.

"When you're done, get out" she said causing Corrin to choke and splutter. Azura rolled her eyes while throwing him a cloth. "Stop making a mess!" Corrin had to take a moment to recover and process the food before being able to speak again.

"But I thought you were going to help me?" he exclaimed. Azura crossed her arms looking annoyed.

"I did, I let you read my books and stay the night, that should be enough"

"Then at least let me ask you a few questions about this place" Corrin argued. Azura sighed nodding her head.

"Very well, ask away" Corrin paused, thinking up the important questions he wanted answers to. After careful thought he decided to jump straight into the big questions.

"What can you tell me about Anankos?"

"He's dead" her answer was so simple, yet made such an impact on Corrin; jumping up he slammed his hands on the table.

"You can't be serious!" his yelling didn't go well with Azura as she simply glared at him.

"Sit down and be quiet!" Corrin complying quickly apologized while doing as he was told. Azura sighed continuing. "Yes, Anankos was killed forty years ago by the Hero Kamui" Corrin looked surprised, Kamui a hero, he could probably never get used to that, he was too used to hearing Kamui his twin sister.

"If the Silent Dragon is dead, then why is this Kingdom still like this?" Corrin remembered the evil energy surrounding the land when he first arrived, it was not something so easily forgotten.

"Because the Queen became corrupted by evil, she killed Kamui and her family, and plunged the kingdom in darkness. Using her magic the Queen possessed the people's minds turning all the innocent people into mindless monsters"

"This Queen, who is she?"

"Queen Arete, my mother" Corrin had to let this revelation sink in; he knew of Arete, she was the second wife of King Garon; but was she also the Queen of Valla back in his world? He could only make assumptions at this point.

"Am I to assume she was also the one to send you down here?" Azura nodded.

"Yes, very much like you I was banished here" Corrin knitted her brow.

"I can't help but feel this is what is happening to my King back in Nohr" Azura looked curious, eyeing him but chose not to say anything. Corrin cleared his throat turning back to the old woman. "Back to Anankos, how did Kamui defeat the Silent Dragon, what are his weaknesses?"

"I wouldn't know" Corrin was disappointed, he was so close yet so far from the information he sought after. "But I see you are planning to go to the Tomb of Heroes; you may find your answers there just as Kamui did" she turned around, looking at the corner again. "I know that! But this foolish boy wants to go, so what's stopping him?" her expression twisted into frustration. "Fine, fine, if that is what you wish" while turning back to Corrin she pointed at the map. "The way to the Tomb is filled with Fallen"

"Fallen?" Corrin questioned.

"They are what we call the people who have fallen to the Queen's corruption"

"So I'm assuming I won't be able to get to the Tomb without a weapon then" Corrin mumbled while looking around the room. "I don't suppose you have a weapon I could use?" Azura answered in the most nonchalant way possible.

"I have a kitchen knife you can have" Corrin's expression dropped with disbelief.

"Well it's better than nothing I guess" he mumbled.

"Anything else?" she asked. Corrin opened the journal flicking through the pages.

"Can you tell me what language this is?" Azura didn't even look at the book and answered, probably already expecting such a question from him.

"They are runes used to maintain secrecy. Even I don't know the contents of the Journal, Kamui made sure that nobody was allowed to read it including herself" Corrin found this suspicious, why would she write a journal if not for herself, in fact why would she be keeping such secrecy; was the information in the journal that important that she needed the right person to read it? It was a possibility.

"Anymore questions?" Azura asked Corrin shook his head. "Good, so you can leave now". Azura stood up and dragged Corrin out of the house before shutting the door behind him.

"Can I have my knife at least?" he called; Azura promptly opened the door tossing a small kitchen knife onto the ground and slammed the door in his face again. Corrin sighed picking it up feeling the grip in his hand, he took a few swings of it and was as he expected it to be, light and flimsy. Beyond him was a large tunnel leading deeper into the caves; he swallowed hard, bracing himself before setting off.

* * *

Corrin was glad he had a good majority of the map memorized; otherwise he would have been wandering aimlessly around the forking pathways. He held his torch up waving it around but his vision was still limited. Somehow the tunnels kept on getting darker; his light was slowly becoming useless. Corrin was forced to maintain a slow pace, watching his footing while keeping an eye out for any Fallen, which surprisingly were nowhere to be seen. The pathways were getting narrower leaving little room for missteps; there were cliffs and holes, all leading to imminent death.

"Be wary, I sense great darkness around us" Garon whispered.

"But where are they? There have been nothing but empty pathways" Corrin whispered back, he was very concerned, he would much rather be able to see overwhelming odds than not see them at all; right now it was like staring into the unknown and letting it stare right back.

Corrin stopped in his tracks just before the edge of a cliff, it was a far way down; the emptiness, the silence, the darkness, it was beginning to become unbearable for him, his vision was starting to become blurred while his hands shaking, was it fear he was feeling? Or was the darkness playing tricks on his mind. He stopped to take a deep breath trying to calm his nerves; the air was damp which helped keep Corrin's focus. He turned back, a distant sound catching his attention, it sounded like scratching; Corrin immediately gripped his knife tighter; he stood still waiting for the sound to come again, but it didn't.

Corrin kept moving, he started wondering how much ground he had covered, but with all the terrain looking similar it was difficult to say whether or not he has been making any decent progress. He hopped down a ledge, it was a short drop but high enough that climbing back up would be difficult. As his boots hit the ground, there was a faint growl; Corrin froze up, sweat dripping down his cheek as the fire of his torch crackled. He raised his torch revealing four men shrouded in purple; they were dressed in light leather armor and wielded short swords. Corrin raised his knife into a defensive position; he sucked in a breath of air, preparing himself.

The Fallen crept closer, raising their swords readying their attack; one was quick, lunging at Corrin with two quick successive slashes, Corrin was backed into a wall avoiding the blade, he quickly ducked and rolled behind the four soldiers, with breathing room, Corrin moved in to stab one of the Fallen soldiers on the back, but the attack was shrugged off, whipping around the soldier back handed Corrin forcing him away.

"They seem to be immune to pain" Garon pointed out. "You need to go for lethal attacks" Corrin paused grasping his knife, shaking his head.

"I can't, these people can still be saved; if we just disable them surely we can make it to the Tomb in one piece" if he could see Garon's expression, it would be one of disbelief.

"Even if there was, now is not the time to be sympathetic. If we want to live, you must think of your own survival and that means to kill" the old king argued

"But..."

"This is the battlefield Corrin, it is kill or be killed, if not for your sake at least for those you care about. You want to return home don't you?" Corrin dodged another flurry of attacks.

"I do, but these people are innocent, I just cannot bring myself to kill them" he continued backing away before breaking into a run; very quickly did he realize that this was a mistake, more and more Fallen soldiers appeared and they were all out for his blood. The way forward was blocked, blocked by Fallen, Corrin turned back, the same, he was surrounded. There was no way out and only death awaited him.


	4. Times Passed

**Hello all, just wanted to address a question that some have asked and some who may be thinking it. Regarding Nyx, all I'm going to say is that she will be in the story and she will be playing a minor but important role, I don't want to put out any spoilers for this story.**

* * *

Corrin wasn't sure what had happened; his eyes were closed as he lay on the ground, his body felt wet, like he was drenched in a pool of water; he could feel a sharp pain against his side, someone was kicking him. Corrin peeled his eyes open, greeted with the sight of water seeping into sand; another kick forced him to look up at, Azura? What was she doing here? Corrin stood up looking around, he was back at the lake.

"How did I get here?" he muttered.

"I wouldn't know, but you just appeared out of nowhere" Azura informed him. Corrin rubbed his side, it didn't feel bruised, but it certainly stung a little.

"Did you need to kick me?" he asked dusting off the sand from his body.

"I thought you were dead" she said, Corrin's face faulted.

"That only makes it worse" he mumbled but Azura ignored him, choosing to return to the comforts of her home. Corrin sighed, he took a seat on the rocky floor, his mind in jumbles, he remembered being stabbed multiple times in his chest and back, he could still remember the pain and agony before everything blacked out on him, he remembered dying. His hands patted down his chest, there were holes in his armor which he quickly removed so he could examine his bare chest, and much to his surprise there were no wounds, not even scars.

"Your death was certainly brutal" Garon said appearing next to him.

"So I truly cannot die" Corrin whispered, it was unsettling, he honestly wasn't sure how to react.

"After dying your body vanished, reappearing here" Garon told him; the king looked out to the lake watching the water ripple and gleam. "How did it feel? You're death I mean" Corrin stared at the ground hand over his heart feeling it beat.

"It was surreal I guess, I'm not too sure how to explain it, but it was like waking up from a nightmare"

"I see…. That certainly sounds unpleasant" he paused looking back at the boy. "But let us put that thought aside for now, we have much to discuss" Corrin dropped his head knowing what was to come; he clenched his fist standing up.

"I hesitated, I know" he whispered, Garon didn't say anything at first, choosing to observe the boy and his expression; Corrin was disappointed with himself, yet there was something in him that was also glad he didn't take those lives; Garon crossed his arms.

"You are conflicted. You understand what you must do, but your drive to save them is stronger" Corrin knitted his brow.

"Because that is what I truly believe, those people are innocent, they have only been corrupted by the Queen's power" he argued.

"Yet they are the reason you are here now; you died by their hand, does that not mean anything?"

"I am not seeking for revenge if that is what you are implying" Garon shook his head.

"No, I am not talking about revenge, I am talking about survival" he told the young prince. "You must understand that there is no room for compassion on the battlefield, it is kill or be killed"

"No it isn't, if we disarm our enemies there are ways to end wars with minimal casualties" Corrin tried to argue, but Garon was firm with his words.

"You are not ending the war Corrin, you are only prolonging it. How many of those same soldiers will come back fully armed again? How many of those same soldiers will be your ultimate demise?" at this Corrin didn't respond, because he knew the King spoke the truth; he remembered his past skirmishes, they all ended in failure because the same people he let go had come back to kill his men, causing his remaining forces to lose trust in him. In the end he had hoped to cripple the Hoshidan army by disabling their healers but the end result was a disaster, his men disobeyed his orders, killing their target instead before dying, and those that survived abandoned him and Felicia to the enemy.

Garon sighed placing a hand on Corrin's shoulder, the boy truly reminded him too much of his younger self and he was afraid of that; as a young prince Garon was naive, he didn't understand the cruelty of the world and that cost him almost everything, he trusted too easily, putting too much faith in people even his enemies; in the end he pushed away the people who were like family to him, the people he could truly trust and replaced them with people who would soon betray him. He did not want that to happen to Corrin.

"I am not saying to let go of your compassion, no, never forget kindness, that compassion is what makes you human. But there are times that you must be strong to fight, to strike down your enemies in battle, if not for yourself then for the sake of your loved ones"

"Yet that will only cause more bloodshed"

"Bloodshed is unavoidable in battle, it is even worse in war; there is nothing that can prevent people from killing each other on the battlefield, the only thing you can do is to make sure you live so that you can return to your loved ones" that statement hit Corrin hard, how many soldiers under his command had loved ones to return to, and how many of those same soldiers can no longer see them again because of his own stubbornness; Corrin bit hit tongue as if to punish himself. Garon noticed the boy's change and realized he finally broke through to him even if it was just a bit. Corrin let out a big breath, standing up.

"Let's go" he muttered.

"Without a weapon?" Garon asked noticing the lack of knife. Corrin looked at his empty hands before nodding, he would scavenge for something deep in the caves, for now he needed to move, he had much to consider about his future actions.

* * *

Flora stood by the edge of the Bottomless Canyon looking down, her heart sank staring at the endless void, she quickly stepped back regrouping with the others. They were standing by the abandoned outpost with Lilith doing her preparation for the incantation. Flora had to wonder what sort of relationship the three royal retainers had with Lilith, they seemed to have some sort of history, a rather hostile relationship based on the way Selena was acting. But she was even more surprised by Lilith's capability in magic, she teleported the five of them here in record time and now she was preparing what looked to be a very complicated spell.

"How long will this take?" Selena questioned.

"Casting the spell will only take a moment, but the tricky part is locating Lord Corrin"

"How difficult are you talking about?" Laslow called out while he stood way back observing their surroundings.

"What's the saying….." Lilith muttered. "Oh! It's like finding a needle in a haystack"

"It can't be that bad, can it?" Laslow asked.

"Considering I'm going to be sieving through thousands of Outrealms, it's going to take a while, maybe a few days" Selena's face dropped.

"Are you kidding me?" she exclaimed, Odin placed a reasuring hand on Selena's shoulder.

"Calm yourself Selena, it could be worse right? We could be here for a final stand as hordes of dark beasts come thirsting for our blood!" he said, Selena rubbed her temples.

"Please don't jinx us Odin. In fact why don't you and Laslow go out and scout the area to make sure that doesn't happen" she ordered. Odin puffed his chest out, a little too eager to comply.

"You need not worry Selena. Laslow and I shall seek out these foul beasts and vanquish them" Odin ran off beckoning Laslow to follow.

"Wait, we're scouting! Not looking for trouble!" Laslow shouted tailing after his friend.

"Um…. he isn't always like that is he?" Flora asked.

"You get used to it" Selena muttered.

"I see" Flora responded a little stunned. "Should I go with them?" Selena shook her head.

"Just let those two do their thing, they can take care of themselves. The two of us will stay here" Flora nodded. Meanwhile Lilith was maintaining her focus; soon a burst of magical energy erupted from Lilith's body, she raised her hands while a portal formed before them. Lilith eyed it letting the soft surface settle in before placing her hand on the portal, her touch formed ripples as she started her search.

With Laslow and Odin, they were neither nervous nor intimidated by the of the ominous atmosphere of the Canyon; the place was damp, the terrain was falling apart and the trees were all dead, their skinny branches extended out like vicious claws. Odin stopped, hearing a sound coming from the woods.

"What is it?" Laslow asked.

"An enemy approaches us" Odin whispered. "Prepare yourself my friend" Laslow heeded his friends warning placing his hand on the handle of his blade; he heard a rustle of footsteps coming from the woods, it was approaching, fast as well. Laslow quickly drew his sword as Odin prepared his magic tome, they prepared for battle only for a raccoon to pop out.

"Not what I was expecting…." Odin mumbled, Laslow let out a chuckle relaxing his posture, but then a shadow loomed over them, they turned around a little surprised.

"Now, how did this guy sneak up on us" Laslow commented staring up at a Faceless; Laslow peeked behind the massive monster noticing more coming out of the woods. "I must say, Lilith wasn't kidding, her magic really is a beast magnet".

Despite their odds, Odin looked excited; bringing out this tome he jumped back raising his hand.

"Laslow my heroic friend at arms! Let us vanquish these beasts once and for all" he exclaimed, Laslow couldn't help but shake his head at his friends antics, with a smile across his face he prepared for battle. Through experience Laslow had to admit, these creatures were not as menacing as the Risen, but what the Faceless lacked in numbers more than made up in brute strength, these giant monsters were durable and hit hard, one clean hit from one of them would be enough to knock even the most seasoned of warriors. Luckily, through years of experience taking down Faceless, Laslow has learnt of an easy way to dispose of them; moving to the side Laslow avoided the Faceless' fists and with one fell swoop cut into the monster's chest before jumping to cut it's head off killing it instantly. Despite their monstrosity, their heads were their weak points, but being able to skillfully remove it was another story. Magic was another one of the Faceless' weaknesses as shown by the littered bodies done in by Odin's Thunder Tome.

"Eyes up Odin, more are on their way" Laslow said as both him and Odin prepared to fend off the horde of Faceless.

* * *

The world was once again dark, the memory of having his head sliced off still fresh in his mind; Corrin couldn't help but feel frustration. He stood up from the water checking his wounds; he was once again at the lake by Azura's home, the old woman standing in front of him watching like she always did, she let out a heavy sigh. For the past two years the two have gotten close; Azura has come to accept Corrin's company and to some extent appreciate it as well. Corrin has gotten used to Azura's quirks, she still continued to speak to an imaginary Kamui and would occasionally shout at him for doing or asking something stupid; he enjoyed their exchanges, it brought a sense excitement to his now gloomy life.

"How long do you plan to do this?" Azura asked. Corrin clenched and unclenched his fist turning to the caves.

"However long it takes. I need to get out of here and return home" he responded.

"You've been through the same routine hundred of times already, surely you have come to realize it is hopeless to try and escape" Azura said. Corrin chuckled standing up; the years of fighting in the crypt has changed him both physically and mentally; his constant deaths has forced Corrin to strengthen his body, his mind and his will; his naivety was gone and in its place was a hardened warrior ready to face any threat thrown at him. Thinking back, Corrin had to admit, it was difficult for him to take his first life, his first kill against the Fallen stunned him, resulting in his death, but what happened afterwards was not pleasant, he had nightmares, nightmares of him killing the same man over and over again, for months it has haunted him, but over time, the more he killed, the more he has come to accept the reality, he would have to live with this guilt if he wanted to survive.

"The moment I give up is the moment everything becomes hopeless. I won't ever stop, not until I save my world from Anankos' corruption"

"If only it would be that simple" Azura mumbled; Corrin looked towards the water.

"Why did you give up?" he asked. Azura pondered for a moment turning her back to him.

"I have forgotten, it has been such a long time since I've thought of such things, I like to consider the life I have now something of a blessing" she turned to her right smiling. "Isn't that right Kamui" Corrin scoffed,

"Blessing? How is living like this" he gestured to the empty land around them. "Any way to live your life Azura? Your home is being ravaged, your people imprisoned by corruption. And yet you live here cowering away from them all"

"That may be true, but this is my punishment. Punishment for my incompetence as a princess. I am only taking advantage of my misfortune" Corrin stared at the old woman with disbelief.

"What happened to you" Azura smiled at him, it was a smile filled with sadness.

"As I said before, I have forgotten" she started walking back to her home. "Maybe it was because I realized I was powerless to do anything, or maybe it was because I realized how pointless it was to save this land".

"Pointless? What makes you say that?" Corrin couldn't help but ask, as fellow royalty he was a little peeved by the thought that someone would think their home was not worth saving.

"Corruption cannot be destroyed, it will take hold of you, even those with the strongest hearts. That is all I am saying" her answer caused Corrin to look away disheartened understanding what she meant. The time in the caves has taught him many things, survival and fighting skills were some things to note, but his knowledge about the Fallen has been expanded upon; the only way to take them down was to remove their head or pierce their hearts; more importantly, was that by killing one the darkness spreads. empowering the others making fighting for long periods of time difficult. There were even times the darkness would try to latch onto Corrin, luckily Garon was able to push away the corruption with his influence.

"Regardless, eat something before you go" she told him. Corrin could feel his stomach rumble, crying out for hunger. Corrin chuckled following the old woman.

"Hopefully it's not vegetable stew, it always tastes bad" he commented. Azura scoffed.

"Be glad you're being fed boy" she said. Corrin smiled raising his hands defensively.

"Hey, only speaking the truth, the vegetables here have terrible taste"

"Right…." she said not at all convinced.

* * *

Corrin had gotten used to the dark, no longer using light to see, he was able to interpret enemy movement based on scent and sound alone. He was in the deepest part of the crypt approaching his goal, but there was one thing that has always thwarted him, the feral wyverns that linger in the area. Corrin quickly moved behind a rock, his hand on the handle of a sword he scavenged from a Fallen Soldier; he could hear the sound of a single wyvern, which was odd, normally more would linger in the area, could they have been out hunting? Corrin didn't know but he was ready to take advantage of the situation. He broke into a sprint, his footsteps catching the wyverns attention immediately causing it to spread its wings and roar at him.

Corrin readied his sword while the wyvern bared its fangs at him; but then he sheathed his weapon and instead waited for the wyvern to strike. Very carefully the beast's gaze watched him, sensing no threatening intent, it lowered its guard to attack. Corrin was waiting for this moment, he jumped and latched onto the beast's neck avoiding the wyvern's jaws, now on it's back Corrin grabbed onto it's spines as the wyvern thrashed around trying to shake him off, drawing his sword he stabbed it in it's neck, the wyvern let out a screeching scream and the thrashing intensified. Corrin twisted the blade and started to cut down, quickly decapitating the wyvern, the beast was dead. Corrin climbed off it's back facing the exit, a powerful breeze blew through his hair and against his skin, it was refreshing and for Corrin, it was a great accomplishment, he couldn't believe he's done it, he was finally out, after two whole years of fighting and dying, he finally made it to the Hall of Heroes.


	5. The First Dragons

**As you read this chapter you will realize I made some changes to the history of Fates and the Fire Emblem, just going to put it out there, I know the Yato is the Fire Emblem, but for the sake of this story it is not.**

* * *

The Hall of Heroes was a place of worship, a sacred place for the people of Valla to pay respect to their greatest heroes, it was grand, it was beautiful, something worth seeing in a lifetime. At least that was how Corrin had imagined the place to be; contrary to his expectations, the Hall of Heroes was barren and dark, the air was damp and possessed a strange smell, almost like rotting flesh. Broken and Rusted weaponry littered everywhere all of them representing tombstones, the more Corrin looked the more ominous the place seemed to be. At the center was a stone tablet with words inscribed into the surface; Corrin looked closer but couldn't read it, he recognized the letters though, they were the same as the ones written in Kamui's journal.

"So you've finally arrived" a voice said from behind. Corrin whirled around drawing his sword, face to face with a hooded man, he couldn't see the man's face only traces of his hair which surprisingly reminded him of Lilith's own, it was probably the color. The man raised his hands up "I am no threat to you Corrin" but Corrin was reluctant to lower his guard.

"How do you know my name?" he asked the man. The man walked closer while Corrin stood his ground, and much to his shock, his sword passed through the man's chest.

"I know your name because I have been observing you since you've arrived in this world" the man answered. "Please, I cannot harm you even if I wanted to" there was hesitation but in the end Corrin lowered his weapon but did not sheath it.

"Then at least give me your name?" he asked, the man smiled.

"My name is Anankos"

"What?" Corrin blurted out. "You are the Silent Dragon?" he hardened his gaze with a raised brow. "Forgive me if I don't believe you"

"That is understandable, but whether you believe me or not is up to you. But first..." Anankos stared at Corrin, or rather what was within him. "Please reveal yourself" and in a flash Garon appeared next to Corrin, his eyes watching the man suspiciously.

"Explain yourself" the Nohrian King questioned.

"I was the one to place the curse on you" Corrin was on guard again, quickly raising his sword ready to fight, he glanced at Garon who was just as surprised as he was.

"I thought you said it was Anankos who placed the curse on us" he questioned the king.

"It was" he answered. "This man may be who he says he is". Anankos looked between the two, he was visibly frustrated, but at the same time understood their hostility.

"Please just let me explain why you are here" he requested. Corrin however had other ideas, he closed the gap between them, raising his sword to Anankos' throat.

"Not before you break the curse" he hissed. Considering physical weapons had no effect on him, Anankos was not at all intimidated, instead he looked at Corrin with deep amusement.

"Oh? Looks like you believe me now" Corrin glared at him.

"Forget about that, just break it" Anankos traced his hands across the blade, the surface of his skin seeping into the metal before turning to face his back to them.

"It is true that I can break the curse, but do you really want me to?" Corrin didn't respond allowing Anankos to continue. "If I remove the soul from your body you will die" Garon widened his eyes darting his glance to Corrin who was not surprised at all, the boy had already guessed that would be the case, after all he was still technically dead.

"I am fine with that" he said, Garon however was against this.

"No it is not!" he yelled. "You cannot die" Corrin shook his head.

"If it means that you can return to your body and save Nohr, my life is worth the price" Garon was about to respond but Anankos interjected.

"You plan to have him return to his body?" he asked, Corrin nodded. "I'm afraid that is not possible. Garon's body has already decayed, there is no saving him, the only thing left is for Garon to either pass on or remain bonded to you" Corrin clenched his fist.

"Are you speaking the truth?" he growled, Anankos nodded.

"I'm afraid so, the Anankos in your world has taken over Garon's existence killing him in the process, there is no hope for him" Corrin was disheartened, he looked at Garon, the king looked disappointed but at the same time relieved.

"I was afraid that was the case, I had some hope that I could return, but I guess my place is with the dead now" the king said turning to Corrin. "You must continue to live Corrin, unlike me, you still have much to live for, there is still much to be done" Corrin looked down frustrated.

"What else is there? You are the only one who can bring an end to the tyranny that plagues Nohr" Garon shook his head.

"No, I have been with you for the past two years now and I believe that you are capable of saving our Kingdom, you can put an end to Anankos' control over me, you can bring order to our home" but Corrin shook his head.

"I can't, but I know who can, Xander will be the one to succeed you, if we put him on the throne, he can save Nohr" Garon undoubtedly agreed, his son could save Nohr, but he believed that Corrin is key to that success.

Anankos looked between the two smiling with content, they would be the key to saving the world, he just knew it; he spoke catching their attention.

"It is good that you have the future of your kingdom in mind but I'm afraid it won't be that simple" Corrin quickly turned to Anakos waiting for him to explain. "As you may have noticed during your encounters in the caves, when you kill a Fallen the corruption within them spreads, the same will happen if you killed Garon, Nohr will be plunged into deeper chaos"

"What is this corruption?" Garon asked

"For me to explain what it is, I would have to tell you about this world's history" Corrin nodded preparing himself for a lengthy explanation by leaning against a rock

"There are many Outrealms, too many to even count. Each world has their own history, their own culture, their own legacy; however there are some worlds which are intertwined with each other, such as mine and yours. Our worlds share the same history, a history of war and corruption, the rise and fall of great heroes; what has happened in this world, has happened in your world as well" Anankos stepped towards the stone tablet tracing his fingers across the etchings. "Thousands of years ago there was a great war between the First Dragons; twelve powerful dragons who wanted control over the world" he turned to look at the two, he looked sorrowful. "I was one of them. The war we waged, shattered the land, destroyed the sea and plunged the world in chaos; it would not end, so as a last resort, we turned to the humans"

"Why humans? It is quite obvious that our strength is nothing compared to yours" Corrin questioned and Anankos nodded his head in agreement.

"It is true, but the humans had something we dragon's lacked, a desire for purpose; that alone makes them strong and worthy of our power. We blessed them with unspeakable power and with it they fought our wars"

"So you used us" Corrin accused, Anankos did not deny it.

"To an extent, yes. At first we saw them as nothing but pawns but as time passed, we came to love the humans and started to mingle among them; we were revered as gods. Soon our war came to a halt and there was essentially peace in the world"

"What changed?" Corrin couldn't help but ask.

"Power corrupts, the humans used our power to wage their own wars on each other" his answer caused Garon to look away his expression darkening.

"Of course…." he muttered to himself.

"Generation after generation, the humans continued to fight feeding their own personal desires, and despite our power as dragons we were helpless to change them. Over time the human's desire for battle kept growing and it was only a matter of time before they would wipe each other out. We dragons couldn't let that happen, so we investigated the cause and what we found was troubling" Corrin raised a brow, curious by what Anankos was implying. "Within the First Dragons was an evil building up, a manifestation of our hate, it spread as we stayed within the mortal realm, and we realized our hatred was leaving our bodies infecting every living thing around us. To stop this we thought that if we cast off our mortal bodies we could rid this evil" Corrin was now on the edge of his seat. "But that was a grave mistake, the corruption only grew stronger continuing to grow, and without the First Dragons protection the humans became more vulnerable to its influence"

"So what happened next? The fact you're here must mean you tried to fix this" Garon said, the way his voice cracked with desperation made Corrin wonder if the King knew something about this corruption.

"I was the last Dragon to remain and I tasked myself to destroy this evil, but no matter what I tried nothing worked, people were losing their morality, they were killing each other for their own pleasure" Anankos stopped to look at his hands. "That was when I decided I have had enough, we needed something that could purify the evil, something that could strike at the heart of it all and end it, a new weapon" there was a pause as he sighed. "But before I could complete it, the corruption had grown too strong and I too was consumed by it; for years I became the tyranny that I fought against"

"And then Kamui killed you" Corrin finished; he sat in silence, he had more questions, but before he could ask, another voice cut in.

"Silent Dragon, is this the boy?" everyone turned to the voice, a man stood floating looking at Corrin and very soon ten others started appearing, each dressed in unique clothing and armor; they encircled Corrin, their eyes watching him closely, judging him.

"Yes it is Dawn Dragon" Anankos greeted.

"What's going on here?" Corrin asked. Anankos motioned to them.

"I would like to introduce you to the First Dragons" Corrin's eyes widened now focusing his attention to the men and women around him. Never in his life did he imagine he would meet such god like beings, they each held themselves with great power and grace, Corrin couldn't help but feel nervous in their presence.

"If I may ask a question Great Dragons" Garon spoke. "But I thought all of you had left this world, why come back?" a man dressed in what looked like ancient Nohrian armor answered.

"We returned to help fix the chaos we caused. The Silent Dragon has a plan to defeat the corruption once and for all; we intend to help him" the Dusk Dragon said. It wasn't that Corrin didn't believe them but he couldn't help but feel a little skeptical, especially considering they were all trying to kill each other thousands of years ago.

"What ever happened to trying to fight for control of the world? I can't help but feel you all have ulterior motives" he said; the Flame and Dusk Dragon snorted out a laugh, clearly amused by the accusation, but it was the Rainbow Sage who answered, the man was well built and the way he dressed, Corrin would have mistaken him for a blacksmith.

"It is true that we have had conflicts in the past; but we have set aside our differences in order to save the world we all love" Corrin seemed to have accepted the answer choosing to move the conversation along.

"Alright. In that case what does it have to do with me?" Anankos took center stage.

"There was a reason why I chose to curse you Corrin, I needed you alive because you are the only one who can finish what we started" Corrin shook his head.

"Surely there are better candidates for this, my sister Kamui, she was chosen by the Yato, she is the chosen hero who will bring peace to the world" Anankos didn't answer, instead chose to turn to the Rainbow Sage. The man nodded, answering his question.

"When I created the Yato, I created it with the idea that only one with the purest of hearts could wield it. However, a pure heart is too susceptible to the corruption, we need someone with darkness within them" Corrin blinked letting the words sink in.

"I have darkness in my heart? This is new, I've always been told that I am too nice, too naive" he said.

"Possessing darkness does not make you evil, it only means that you have the ability to wield darkness as power" The Dawn Dragon said, his Hoshidan armor clanking as he folded his arms. Garon couldn't help but chuckle.

"Imagine the Hoshidan's hearing their god say something like that" his voice was soft, quiet enough that nobody heard him.

"That still doesn't explain why me specifically" Corrin exclaimed prompting all the dragons to look at Anankos.

"There's no avoiding it Silent Dragon, I believe it is time you tell the boy" the Astral Dragon said. Corrin started glancing between the dragons.

"What are you talking about, tell me what?" he exclaimed. Anankos swallowed his saliva looking too nervous .

"The reason why we have chosen you in particular is because you carry the blood of the Silent Dragon in your veins" Corrin raised a brow.

"I am your descendant? But I thought I would be the descendant of the Dawn Dragon" Anankos shook his head.

"No, to be more specific I am your father"

"What?" both Corrin and Garon spoke in unison.

"Well not me specifically, but the Anankos in your world is your father, just like how the Corrin and Kamui in this world are my children" Anankos tried to clarify. But Corrin was still confused.

"I don't understand, how is this possible? Mother told me that I was a child of Hoshido" Both the Dawn Dragon and Silent Dragon looked at each other.

"I may not be able to speak for your Mother, but it could be that she wanted to shield you from the truth. She probably did not want you to know what your father has become and done" the Dawn Dragon explained, Corrin was not satisfied with the answer.

"Considering I was lied to all my life, I probably would have appreciated the truth whatever it was" he said.

"You are angry" the Flame Dragon commented. "Unusual, you should rejoice. You have finally learnt of who your blood father is" Corrin glared at the man.

"Rejoice?" he glared at all the Dragons present. "First I was told I was part of the Nohrian family; then I am told I was actually part of the Hoshidan family and now you tell me I am not? Am I just a plaything for you to mess with?" both Anankos and Garon looked down in shame, despite it being out of their control they still felt a great deal of guilt. Corrin realizing his outburst quickly calmed his nerves, taking deep breaths, he looked at the Silent Dragon muttering his next few words. "I apologies, I understand it was not your fault, in fact you're technically not my father, just the same person from a different world, but ..." the Rainbow Sage raised his hand stopping Corrin's rambling.

"Your anger is not misplaced. It is unfair for you and your sister to constantly be lied to, but you must understand, your mother did what she had to in order to protect you both, I'm sure it pained her just as much to lie to you" Corrin became somber, the Rainbow Sage was right, but he still couldn't help but feel a little betrayed.

"Corrin" Anankos called getting his attention. "I understand if you cannot forgive the other me, but please understand that I know for certain that he would have loved to be there for you if he could" Corrin looked down at his feet just letting all this information sink in. For years he had always wondered why he felt different from the rest of his brother and sisters, sure Xander, Camilla, Leo and Elise made sure that he felt loved, that much was certain and he appreciated it, but there was something he just couldn't grasp, he just felt abnormal. Then he learns that he and Kamui were actually hostages in Nohr and that they were actually from Hoshido; he thought maybe that feeling would go away but no, he still felt out of place, and now he understood why.

"It's fine, as I said before, I just needed to vent…. Let's, let's move onto more pressing matters" he said. The dragons turned to look at Anankos waiting for his response, the Silent Dragon looked sad, but he understood what Corrin meant, he needed time.

"Very well" Anankos said, he moved to the stone tablet placing his palm onto the surface, the engravings started to glow and mysteriously started to morph, the words twisted and turned, creating a circle of words, Anankos reached out and pulled out a golden ring.

"This here is the Fire Emblem, within it imbues power from all of us and is the weapon I created to defeat the corruption" he said moving towards Corrin placing it in his hands, the boy eyed the ring watching it shimmer with power.

"Be wary, only those who share the Silent Dragon's blood can wield this power, others will die just by wearing it" the Astral Dragon explained. Corrin noted the warning but chose to stare at the ring rather than answer. There were too many thoughts going through his head at the moment, the safety of his siblings, his friends, his home; there was too much at stake here.

"My home…. Are you certain it will turn out like this world?" he asked.

"As the Silent Dragon has certainly explained, this world and your world share the same history, it will be only a matter of time before your world ends up like this" the Rainbow Sage said grimly. "Especially with the Silent Dragon in your world having become corrupted much sooner, I fear it could be much worse for you" Corrin's resolve hardened, he clenched the ring within his fist; he turned to Anankos.

"You said this weapon was incomplete" the Silent Dragon nodded.

"I did, the ring needs two sources of power to complete it, you will need to travel to different worlds to obtain it" he explained. "To my knowledge, there is a portal you can access back in your world; there is one in Nohr, the other is in Hoshido"

"Do you know where the portal in Nohr is?" Corrin asked Garon, the king looked up in wonder.

"I might have an idea, but I'm more curious about what this source of power is"

"The Fire Emblem will guide you, it will lead you to it, it will also lead you to the source of the evil" Corrin looked among the Dragons, all of them looking somber, looking desperate, he could only imagine what they have gone through, the years of watching, not being able to do anything as the people they have come to love tear each other apart. Even if this whole problem was their fault, Corrin couldn't help but feel sorry for them. He made up his mind, he would free this world and save his own; that much he promised.

"Leave it to me" Corrin said, eyes filled with determination. "I will save this world and mine". The Dragons smiled before bowing to him.

"We are in your dept" Corrin smiled and looked at Garon.

"Looks like we're in this together" he said, Garon grinned back crossing his arms.

"I'll be in your care Corrin" Garon turned to look at Anankos. "But I do believe there is another matter at hand" Corrin had to blink a few times before understanding what Garon was saying; the Dragon's looked at them with confusion.

"That's right…. How do we find a portal back home?"

* * *

When Azura found Corrin walking out of the caves, she was surprised, normally she would find the boy unconscious by the lake with a few new holes in his armor; this time he seemed unharmed and she couldn't quite put her finger on it, but he seemed different.

"Something happen boy?" she called out to him. Corrin smiled at her and she wasn't sure what to make of it, it was a mixture of joy and sadness.

"I made it" he replied.

"You made it?" she repeated. "What do you mean you made it?"

"To the Hall of Heroes, I made it there" Azura frowned looking at him, he looked exhausted, he dropped his sword, letting it clank on the ground, the weapon was bloody and the edge looked dull, it needed proper maintenance if he wanted to use it again.

"Then why are you here? Shouldn't you have escaped by now" she asked, after all that was the whole point of him venturing deeper; Corrin looked out to the lake.

"Turns out your map was wrong, the way out was here all along" the old woman frowned.

"Impossible, I would have heard about it" she said. Corrin moved closer stepping into the lake until his body was waist deep in the water.

"It's true" he insisted, though he too was unsure; Anankos had said when he put on the Fire Emblem, everything will be made clear. He fished the ring out of his pocket twiddling it between his fingers, he could still feel the power resonating from it, and that made him nervous. Swallowing he took a deep breath before slipping the ring onto his left index finger.

A rush of energy flowed through him and it was almost like everything became clear to him. He could see trails of magic energy flowing around the air, he reached out to touch it and with it came a powerful gush of air that washed over them; Corrin's eye's widened, he just triggered a Dragon Vein, he wasn't sure how, considering there wasn't one there before, he would need to experiment further to better understand how this weapon worked.

He then started hearing a voice, it was calling out to him, surprisingly the voice sounded familiar; Corrin looked around trying to locate the source.

"Lord Corrin!" the voice was calling out his name. "Lord Corrin!" his name was being repeated, almost like the voice was trying to find him. Corrin looked out at the water, there was a faint glow beneath the surface prompting him to reach out; his hand tapped the water creating ripples, the glow grew brighter as the water started to swirl, then the voice became much louder.

"Lord Corrin! Is that you?" a female voice called out.

"Lilith?" Corrin responded not believing what he was hearing; why was Lilith on the other side? She was one of the last few people he expected to be able to reach him.

"Oh thank goodness! It really is you" Lilith's voice echoed, Corrin could also hear the sound of other voices in the background but he couldn't tell whose they were. "Lord Corrin, are you hurt? Are you able to come through the portal?"

"I can, but I will need you to maintain it"

"Of course!" she replied. Corrin looked to Azura he reached out to her.

"Come with me Azura, we can leave together!" the old woman stepped back.

"I've told you before Corrin, I won't leave this place" she said, but Corrin wasn't giving up.

"You are the Princess of Valla, it should be your duty to protect your people not hide away in some cave and let villains such as your mother destroy your home!" he yelled Azura didn't know what came over her, maybe it was the thought of Corrin leaving, but she became furious.

"You think you know how it feels? To have everything you love destroyed right before your eyes and to not be able to do a single thing about it. To live for years in torment in this blasted place!" She pointed to herself, tears streaming down her face. "I should have died years ago! I should have died along with everyone else!" She broke down to her knees. "I have no right to live…." she started to whisper. "Why was I allowed to live?" Corrin could only watch the old woman continue to cry, the years of pain and suffering she had bottled up finally reached it's tipping point. He moved closer, kneeling down next to her, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"No, I cannot understand how you feel, that much is true. All I can say is that this is your chance to find closure, your chance to confront your nightmares and find peace. If you do not act, nothing will ever change" Azura looked up while Corrin continued to speak. "Break free from this torment and help me save Valla, help me save your home" Azura didn't say anything, but her tears stopped, she stood up, silently walking away; Corrin sighed watching the old lady disappear into her home, he was disappointed but wouldn't dwell on it, he started making his way towards the portal.

"This will be important" Azura's suddenly called out from afar, Corrin twirled around, Azura stood before him, a small pack on her back, she was holding onto a book, more specifically, Kamui's journal. She stepped into the water and towards the portal. "I hope you know what you are doing" she said; Corrin chuckled shaking his head while looking at his ring.

"I hope so too".

* * *

When Corrin stepped onto dry land the first thing that happened was Flora rushing at him with a tackling hug, the next was the gathering of three royal retainers, two of which looked like they could have seen better days.

"I'm so glad you're safe! You had us all worried!" Flora said squeezing Corrin tighter. Corrin felt guilty for having worried his friend and retainer, now that he thought about it, he could only imagine what his siblings were feeling, especially Camilla, oh god Camilla, he hoped she didn't go off and do something brash.

"Sorry to have worried you all" he said looking to the others. "And thank you for looking for me" Selena crossed her arms turning away.

"Just don't make it a habit" the redhead mumbled. When Flora stepped back she was appalled by his condition; Corrin's armor was nothing more than scraps now, his hair was long and messy, she could see specks of dirt hanging from the tips.

"Milord! You look terrible!" she cried, Corrin chuckled ruffling his hair forming a cloud of dust over his head.

"I look fine compared to those two" he said pointing at Laslow and Odin who were covered in cuts and bruises. The two in unison gave them a thumbs up while flashing their pearly whites.

"Nothing to be worried about" Laslow replied.

"Exactly, those Faceless were no match for us" Odin added, Selena gave them a questioning glance.

"You said you only encountered wild animals not Faceless" she exclaimed; Laslow stroked his chin in deep thought.

"I guess it would be an insult to animals to compare them to Faceless" Selena frowned at them.

"You should have told me you were fighting such dangerous monsters, I would have come to help" Laslow chuckled ruffling her hair which of course irritated Selena.

"No need to worry over the little things" he turned to Odin. "Isn't that right?" the ecstatic dark mage nodded standing proudly at their accomplishments.

"Idiots, the both of you" Selena mumbled. Corrin couldn't help but smile at the three's antics.

Lilith peered behind Corrin noticing another presence amongst the group.

"Lord Corrin who is this?" she asked. Corrin turned around.

"This is Azura, we met in the other world" he introduced. The old woman eyed the new faces and scowled, Corrin noticing this quickly stepped between her and the others putting up a nervous smile.

"She's not really used to people. She will warm up to you…. In due time" Lilith and Flora looked skeptical and a little suspicious of the old lady.

"If you say so Milord" Flora whispered her eyes still locked onto Azura. Selena was in deep thought, her brow furrowed.

"That name sounds awfully familiar, wasn't there a Nohrian Princess that went by the same name?" she said, Corrin nodded.

"Yes, she and her are the same person" Selena, Laslow and Odin were surprised, their eyes directed at the old lady. This should be impossible, the woman in front of them was probably as old as King Garon probably even older. Corrin of course noticed their confusion and decided to clear things up. "When I fell into the Bottomless Canyon I entered a world parallel to this one, except that world was years into the future, that's why the age difference. But I can assure you this Azura is harmless, we've spent two years in each others company"

"Wait, Milord" Flora spoke up. "Did you say two years?" Corrin nodded.

"Yes, and I must say you really have my gratitude, to have been searching for me for this long, I am happy you've had this much faith in me" Flora shook her head.

"That's impossible, you've only been missing for two days" this revelation hit Corrin like a ton of bricks, he looked at the group and they all stared at him disbelievingly. He could only voice out one thought.

"What?"


	6. Returning Home

**Just wanted to let all you readers know, with the acception of three pairings (One of the pairings because I couldn't help myself, the other two is for the sake of the plot) there will be no other pairings in this story; so Corrin will not have any romantic interest. This story will focus on Corrin and his journey to uncover the secrets of Valla and how to save the world.**

 **So, enjoy this chapter**

* * *

Corrin's footsteps echoed along the hallway, the servants and guards all staring disbelievingly at him as he passed them but he payed them no mind, his attention was on the throne room. He had sent Flora and Lilith back to the servant's quarters and had them settle Azura into an empty room, instructing them that nobody was to find out about the old woman, at least not until he explained the situation to his siblings. Selena, Laslow and Odin had disappeared to their own quarters after returning to the castle, which was a shame since he had some important questions to ask them, but he guessed his questions could wait until they met again.

The doors to the throne room were large and for the first time Corrin did not feel intimidated by them, instead he was eager to open them and announce his return. There were voices on the other side, they were of the King's and his siblings, they seemed to be arguing about something. Corrin looked at the guards stationed by the door, they were staring at him with shock; smiling to them Corrin proceeded to push the doors open with more strength than he intended slamming them and catching the attention of everyone in the throne room; he strolled in, walking tall and confident.

"Corrin!" his siblings yelled with both shock and great disbelief, but none of them dared get close, choosing to make way for him to approach the king.

"Father, I have returned" Corrin announced bowing to the King who was surprised by his appearance.

"So you have" the King responded with caution unsure how to make of his sudden return from the dead. "Reports have told me you were killed in battle" raising a brow Corrin questioned him.

"If I may ask father, who provided this report?" his prompt response stirred suspicion from the King, he sensed something odd from the boy, like a new found confidence that wasn't there before.

"Iago!" he called for his tactician and right on cue, the man walked into view. "It would seem your report was wrong" the snake like man looked disgusted by Corrin's appearance.

"It would seem so" he replied. "Tell me Prince Corrin how did you survive?"

"As you may know I fell into the Bottomless Canyon, I was lucky enough to grab hold of something before falling too deep and I climbed out" There was no waiver in Corrin's tone almost as if he had anticipated the question; Iago however scoffed.

"A likely story, it is quite obvious that the Hoshidans were the ones to save you" the Nohrian siblings were appalled by this accusation, voicing out their anger.

"Iago!" Xander shouted. "Are you still implying Corrin is a Hoshidan spy?" Iago shook a little under Xander's glare but was quick to compose himself.

"Isn't it quite obvious Prince Xander? Prince Corrin has had a bad record with his campaigns against the Hoshidan army, he is obviously intentionally losing to their forces" Iago peaked at Corrin hoping to see his distraught face but was surprised to find none.

"Iago" Corrin said surprising everyone with his serene tone. "Do you have proof?" Iago wasn't expecting such a question, he spluttered his next words.

"Your actions are proof enough" Iago exclaimed.

"So you don't have any physical proof, even rumors would have helped but you're merely going off on your own assumptions" Corrin scolded, making Iago visibly angry which was exactly how Corrin planned; knowing that the tactician wasn't able to answer, he continued. "Tacticians make assumptions based on their facts, not the other way round; that is some of the basic fundamentals of Tactics and Strategy. If you can't even understand that Iago, you should stop speaking before you make a fool out of yourself" his harsh words stunned everyone, including the King; Iago recoiled wanting to make a retort.

"Enough Iago, this matter has gone on long enough" the King turned to Corrin with renewed interest. "I have heard the reports of the Battle at the Bottomless Canyon, however I want to hear what transpired from you" Corrin nodded almost too eager to comply.

"Of course Father. As you may know my forces were limited, fifty soldiers to be exact, while Hoshido was bolstering a force of approximately one hundred soldiers composing of samurai, spear fighters, archers and shrine maidens; their commander was Princess Kamui of Hoshido" the mention of Kamui's name had a number of reactions from the others, Xander diverted his eyes to the ground his fist clenched, Leo was frowning breaking away from his usual calm demeanor, Camilla and Elise looking saddened that their sister had chosen to leave them, Corrin however remained expressionless maintaining a sense of professionalism in the King's presence. "Unlike my previous skirmishes, I opted a silent approach, striking their army when they least expect it; we eliminated majority of their shrine maidens and some of their archers before being pushed back. I lost thirty soldiers before ordering what was left of my men to retreat. I stayed behind to allow my men a safe retreat" Corrin turned to face Iago staring straight into his eyes. "A possessed Prince Takumi then struck me with an arrow throwing me into the Canyon" the King stroked his beard in wonder.

"According to my reports, your men abandoned you for dead" he told Corrin.

"No, that is false, I was the one who ordered their retreat" the King narrowed his eyes, looking for any hint of lies from the boy; he found none.

"Then you will not mind commanding those same soldiers" he said hoping to stir something, fear, shock, regret, anything, but Corrin remained vigilant, nodding with acceptance.

"That is to be expected Father, those men are my responsibility" he answered. "But if I may ask, where are they now?"

"In prison, deserting the battlefield is a crime sentenced with death, however since you have vouched for them, they will be released and put under your command once again"

"Thank you Father"

"Now, tell me how do you judge the results of the battle?" Corrin chose not to answer immediately, planning his words carefully.

"Despite it being a tactical loss, I believe the battle at the Bottomless Canyon is a strategic victory" his answer caused Iago to scoff.

"A loss is a loss Prince Corrin, no need to sugar coat it" the Tactician made Leo angry, the youngest Prince wanting to retort but Corrin beat him to it.

"Father" he said completely ignoring Iago. "I question Iago's competence as your tactician" the King quickly silenced Iago before he could say anything.

"Do you question my judgement" he asked in the most threatening manner. Everybody was watching their exchange fearing for Corrin's life, only Xander has ever dared to speak up against the King and that was because he was the High Prince of Nohr, everybody else however would find themselves executed for such an offence.

"Yes I do" Corrin answered. "He doesn't seem to be able to grasp the difference between tactics and strategy, is it wise for him to be put in power?"

"How dare you doubt his Majesty!" Iago tried to defend himself, however he was only digging himself a deeper hole.

"A wise King employs advisers who question his decisions so he doesn't make a fool of himself. And Father is no fool" Corrin stared at Iago. "Unless you think him to be"

"What? How dare you accuse me of such a thing!" Iago screamed. "I will have your head for such accusations!"

"Silence!" the King's booming voice shook the throne room. "Iago leave" the man was shocked.

"But your Majesty…"

"I said leave!" Iago stumbled back, he glanced over to the other royals, Leo and Elise were watching with smug smiles. Embarrassed, Iago ran out the room. The King turned back to Corrin who was waiting for him to speak. "I congratulate you on your small victory against Hoshido, however that still does not excuse you for your countless losses; should there be another failure on your record you will be punished severely, is that understood" Corrin bowed.

"I understand Father" the King nodded. Corrin stepped back choosing to stand next to Leo.

"That was bold brother" Leo whispered. "I didn't know you had it in you" Corrin shrugged.

"I didn't either" he replied. Elise wrapped her arms around his waist hugging him tightly.

"Elise?" Corrin quietly called out the youngest's name, she didn't respond choosing to tighten her grip instead.

"We are all just glad to have you back" Camilla said placing a hand on his shoulder. "You scared us all with your disappearance" Corrin looked at his siblings with a sad smile.

"I'm sorry to have worried you all, but I'm back now and I don't plan on going anywhere" he said eyes darting from Xander, Camilla, then to Leo, they smiled back at him all of them relieved to have their brother back.

"Returning to the matter at hand" the King called to order. "The Ice Tribe has started acting up again. Xander, I want you to take your men and put them in their place, I want them all put to death" Corrin's heart stopped for a bit; it would seem much has happened in such a short time after his disappearance. But something seemed amiss, the Ice Tribe had promised him that they would no longer instigate any sort of rebellion and Kilma wasn't the sort of person to go back on his word, something was definitely wrong. He heard Xander fight back, yelling.

"I am telling you Father that silencing the Ice Tribe will only bring more instability to Nohr, it will motivate others to rebel as well" but the King wasn't having any of this.

"You seem to overestimate our people Xander, fear is what puts them in their place and it is what will force them to obey" he yelled back.

"No it is you who has underestimated our people Father, it has been many years since you last traveled the land, the people have changed, they have grown stronger and will not be intimidated by simple scare tactics" Xander retorted not backing down.

"If I may interrupt" Corrin voiced out before things could escalate between the two. "Why not send me to investigate. I was the one to quell their rebellion before, I am sure I can settle what is going on with the Ice Tribe" the King stared with wonder, resting his chin on his hand.

"Hmm, that is true; however your attempts last time were for naught, what makes you think this time will be any different?"

"Because I do not believe the Ice Tribe to be at fault here, something must be causing them to act up" Corrin explained, the King didn't look convinced.

"And if you are wrong?" there was a long deathly silence. Corrin quickly glanced at his siblings then back to the King.

"Then I will be the one to eliminate them" Corrin's voice did not falter, his determination clearly showing through his body language.

"Very good, however should you fail, you will be the one executed" the King said.

"Father!" both Camilla and Elise cried out, appalled that their father would suggest such a thing. Corrin stepped forth giving him a short bow.

"I understand".

* * *

When the royal siblings stepped out of the throne room a few things happened; first, Corrin dropped to his knees letting out a sigh of relief, his rush of adrenaline depleted he now couldn't believe all of that just happened. Camilla and Elise knelt down to check on him, with Leo and Xander looking over him with concern.

"Corrin, are you alright?" Camilla asked.

"I'm fine… I just can't believe I said all those things in there" he replied.

"You certainly surprised all of us Corrin" Xander said. "You handled yourself flawlessly and you certainly put Iago in his place"

"Yeah!" Elise exclaimed. "You should have seen the look on his face, it was glorious!" Camilla giggled at Elise's over the top antics.

"Yes, you certainly did, and I think even Father was impressed" she added, Leo nodded a wide smile plastered across his face.

"Regardless of what happened in there, we're all glad to have you back Corrin, you truly do have the devil's own luck" he said.

"Indeed we are" Camilla brought Corrin into a bone crushing hug, normally Corrin would be embarrassed by the action, but having been away for such a long time he missed Camilla's overbearing affection, he hugged her back.

"It's good to be back" he whispered.

"Something is different about you" Xander said as Corrin and Camilla broke their hug, they stood up with Corrin looking at Xander with a chuckle.

"Nothing ever get's passed you Xander, but it's a long story"

"Well you can tell us later, first you need to go get washed up and changed into a new set of clothes, you look absolutely terrible, almost like you haven't bathed in years" Camilla said pushing him towards the baths, Corrin laughed at how accurate Camilla was but didn't comment on it.

"And Corrin!" Xander called out stopping both Camilla and Corrin as they faced him, the High Prince smiled warmly, his eyes moist from happiness. "Welcome home".

* * *

He has never felt so clean in his life, though it may be an exaggeration, the feeling of dirt being washed off his skin and hair has never been so refreshing before, he wondered how he's never appreciated such a luxury. He was now wearing a new set of clothes which consisted of a cotton tunic and trousers, his hair was now tied in a low ponytail. Corrin sat on his chair pondering what was going to happen in the next few hours, would his siblings even believe him? He heard the door open, Flora and Lilith walked in.

"Lord Corrin, you asked for us?" Flora greeted.

"Yes, I'm about to explain what transpired in the parallel world to my siblings, I want you two to hear what I have to say as well" Flora and Lilith bowed.

"Of course" Flora responded.

"By the way, how is Azura settling in?" he asked, Lilith was the one to answer.

"We offered her a bath but she scolded us for being too clingy and fell asleep almost immediately" her answer made Corrin chuckle.

"That sounds like her; don't take offence to her rudeness, that's just the way she is" he explained, both Lilith and Flora took note despite not feeling in the least offended by the old woman's antics.

"Milord if I may ask, but what is your relationship with her?" Flora asked, she was more curious as to why Corrin had gotten so close the woman.

"We're friends, she provided me with food and shelter when I had none" Corrin answered.

"I see..." Flora trailed off, making note to properly thank the old woman when she got the chance. "If I may also ask milord, what happened to Felicia?" at this Corrin frowned.

"We'll discuss that later tonight, but don't worry, with Kamui in command she will be unharmed" looking a little disappointed Flora nodded. Their was a knock on the door.

"Corrin!" they could hear Elise's voice from the other side. "We're here!" Flora went to open the door, Elise waltzed in with Leo, Camilla and Xander behind her.

"So little Prince, what is it that you wanted to tell us?" Xander said, Corrin gestured to the chairs.

"Why don't you all take a seat. Same for you two" he said to Flora and Lilith, the two servant girls were surprised and didn't feel comfortable relaxing in the midst of the royal siblings, but they didn't want to disobey Corrin either. A little reluctant, they took their seat next to Elise.

"What I'm about to say must not leave this room" he started, everyone started looking nervous, what was Corrin about to unveil? "I didn't tell the entire truth to Father. When I was cornered by the Hoshidans an arrow pierced my heart throwing me into the Bottomless Canyon and I died"

"Big Brother!" Elise yelled with a frown. "That's not funny!"

"Saying such a thing is not allowed you understand" Camilla scolded. Leo and Xander looked like they wanted to say something as well but judging by the expression Corrin was making they held back.

"It is the truth I'm afraid. I was killed on that day but somebody cursed me and my body is now bonded with another entity thus keeping me alive" Corrin placed his hand over the area where Takumi's arrow had hit. "When I came to I was in a separate world, a kingdom called Valla" when Corrin said the name his eyes quickly darted to Lilith noticing her trying to hide her surprised expression. "There, I started my journey through hell".

* * *

Lying in her bed Kamui couldn't sleep, her mind was on her twin brother, reminiscing the happier times the two had together, but that only made her heart clench; she was holding back on the tears, but the more she thought about Corrin the weaker her resolve became.

"Kamui?" she heard Hinoka's voice from outside; Kamui quickly composed herself before answering.

"Come in" Hinoka entered the tent noticing Kamui's distraught face.

"Are you alright?" she asked, Kamui turned away rubbing her eyes.

"I'm fine, what did you need?" she insisted, Hinoka highly doubted it but didn't press the issue.

"I just wanted to let you know that preparations for tomorrow are ready, we will leave in the morning" she said.

"Understood, thank you for informing me" Hinoka stood watching her sister, Kamui looked terrible both emotionally and physically.

"Is there anything else?" Kamui asked, Hinoka pulled her into a hug stroking her hair.

"It's only us here, you don't need to hold it in, go ahead and cry" her soothing words was the last thing to break Kamui, the younger princess hugged her sister tighter crying into her shoulder.

"Why… why did he have to die!" Kamui said between sobs. Hinoka didn't say anything, how could she, sure she too was hurting, when she got the news of Corrin's death her heart broke, but compared to Kamui's pain her's was nothing; for Kamui, they were twins and losing Corrin was essentially losing another part of herself and now she felt alone in the world.

"I'm sorry" Hinoka mustered out but Kamui didn't hear as she continued to cry. Corrin's death made Hinoka wonder, how many more siblings could she lose in this war.

* * *

"And that's the story" Corrin finished; everyone was looking overwhelmed, Elise sat with her mouth wide open, Camilla was looking quite horrified, Leo just looked stunned, and Xander, surprisingly was looking indifferent.

"So you're saying that you have Father's soul bound to your body and that you were tasked by the First Dragons to slay an evil that has plagued our world, more specifically Anankos a Dragon God?" Leo concluded.

"Not exactly Anankos, rather it is the corruption that consumes him is what I must destroy" Corrin corrected; Leo scratched his head comprehending what Corrin has told them.

"This is all really farfetched, especially the idea that Father's spirit resides in your body, your basically saying our Father is long dead and the one sitting on the throne is an imposter" the youngest prince said, Leo looked to Xander who still hasn't said anything only continuing to observe Corrin. Leo then turned to Camilla and Elise, they were flabbergasted and they were very unlikely to question Corrin's story. "Can you at least show proof?" he asked, Corrin crossed his arms in deep thought.

"Well… Just don't act so surprised" he answered, the room suddenly got colder and a blue wraith form appeared standing next to Corrin; everyone's reactions were mixed, Elise fainted, Camilla and Leo jumped out of their chairs shocked, Flora covered her mouth not believing her eyes, Lilith was surprised but not to the point of showing it, and Xander, well his eyes widend, the wraith looked just like his father when he was younger, granted he's only seen it through paintings but it was definitely him.

"What do you think Garon? Do you think it is proof enough?" Corrin asked. Garon looked amongst his children and couldn't help but let out a grin at their surprised looks.

"Possibly, it is up to them whether my existence is proof enough, but I will say the looks on their faces is worth it" Garon responded. Corrin went over to Elise to check up on her while his siblings were gawking at Garon.

"Is this real?" Leo said.

"Father?" Camilla whispered reaching out to him; the kind look the man expressed, Camilla had memories of such a man in her childhood, despite the cruelty and hate her mother held for her, she always remembered her father's kindness, his calm soothing voice when he comforted her, his laughter when he was proud, she remembered it all; a flood of emotions started creeping out, emotions Camilla had thought she locked away when the war between concubines had started.

Leo on the other hand was just unsure of what to think, he had very fond memories of how his father used to be, even at one point looking up to him, his father when he was younger was a gentle person, this spirit had that same aura, a warm and welcoming feeling; Leo wanted to believe that this spirit was indeed his father, he truly did, but he couldn't help but feel that this was too good to be true.

"You all look well, it would seem the years has brought you all closer together, I'm glad" Garon said. Camilla approached Garon still trying to comprehend her emotions, but she reached out to him.

"Father… is it really you?" she asked. Garon grabbed her hand, and much to Corrin's surprise their hands physically touched, something he didn't think was possible.

"Yes it is me and I'm sorry that we would be reunited in such a way" he confirmed. Camilla didn't care anymore she reached out and hugged Garon who was taken back by the action, but he soon gently hugged her back. Corrin had to admit this was the first time he's ever seen Camilla feel so… vulnerable; Camilla has always been one of the strong figures in his life, she acted like the mother of their group, always doting on the younger ones and always looking out for them, she held herself with confidence that seeing her like this now made Corrin realize she too was only human with vulnerabilities.

"Xander, what do you make of all this?" Leo asked the eldest who had been quiet the whole time. The High Prince didn't answer only watching the man who claimed to be his father, he didn't know what to say nor what to feel.

"I need some time to think" he finally said before leaving the room.

"Xander!" Corrin yelled wanting to go after him but Leo stopped him.

"Give our brother some time, this is a lot to take in" he said to him, Corrin complied while looking at the door with concern. Camilla stepped back from Garon wiping away specks of tears from her eyes.

"It's good to be able to see you again Father" she said.

"It is good to see you as well, from what Corrin has told me you've grown to be a remarkable woman" his remark caused Camilla to turn to Corrin with a grateful smile and pulled him in for a suffocating hug.

"Oh Corrin, you really are the best" she laughed with glee; while the two were having their moment, Leo approached Garon with wary eyes, the king simply smiled at him placing a hand on Leo's shoulder.

"Father" he tried saying, Garon looked at him with wonder motioning his hand to measure Leo's height.

"You've grown taller, looks like you were worried for nothing" he said causing Leo to smile widely.

"You remember" he whispered, if he had any doubts before, they were all gone now; only his father knew of his insecurities as a child. "It's good to have you back Father"

"And I'm glad to be back" Garon turned to Flora and Lilith. "We've actually met earlier but I never formally introduced myself. Thank you for looking after this fool" he pointed to Corrin. "I know he can be a handful". Flora looked nervous, after all it wasn't everyday she would have such a casual conversation with the King, especially one who she always thought to be vile and cruel.

"I-It's nothing!" she stammered. "It's an honor to serve him"

"Y-yes!" even Lilith was nervous. "Lord Corrin has been a very generous Lord, being able to serve him has been my greatest achievement"

"No need to be that modest" Leo commented with a mischievous grin. "I know Corrin can be a pain most of the times" Corrin looked appalled.

"Hey! I'll have you know I am a very capable person, I have become quite proficient in making tea" Corrin looked to Flora with a confident face. "Isn't that right Flora" the blue haired maid smiled at him awkwardly not answering causing him to look dejected. "It can't be that bad can it?" Luckily Leo came to his rescue.

"Don't fret Corrin we all have our weaknesses, yours just so happens to be doing the most simplest of tasks" or not. Before Corrin could retort, Camilla pulled him back into a hug smiling happily.

"But that's what makes you so adorable Corrin" now at the mercy of his sister he wasn't able to do anything, instead he chose to pout, everybody laughed. Elise finally waking up sat up rubbing her eyes.

"I had the most unusual dream" she said. "A Younger Father appeared out of nowhere…." she stopped staring right at Garon who stared back. The youngest jumped up with shock.

"That wasn't a dream Elise" Leo told her. Elise was lost with words and looked ready to faint again; Garon laughed placing a hand on her head.

"Don't go fainting on me again Elise" he said. Elise looked up at the man and said the first thing that came to her mind.

"Can I have a piggyback ride?" she asked. Leo slapped his forehead while Garon was taken back by the request.

"Seriously Elise? That's the first thing you ask when we get our father back?" Elise pouted clinging onto Garon.

"You had piggyback rides when you were a kid Leo, so it's only fair that I get one too!" she exclaimed, Garon had to stifle his laughter while patting her head.

"You truly are as adorable as Corrin says you are. But it'll have to be another time" Elise looked disappointed. "I promise we'll spend time together the next time we meet" Garon assured.

"It's a promise!" Elise said, she looked around. "By the way, where did Xander go?"

"He needed some air, I'll go check up on him" Corrin said leaving the room.

* * *

Corrin found Xander out in the training fields practicing his sword swings, he made his presence known.

"I thought I would find you here" Corrin picked up a training sword from the weapons rack, taking a few swings of it to get the feel. Xander stopped what he was doing.

"How did you feel when you first found out?" he asked, Corrin having gotten used to Garon's presence had to remember what his initial reaction was.

"I guess I was shocked at first, but then I found it to be an opportunity to save Nohr" his answer made Xander smile.

"You really have become a great Prince"

"What makes you say that?"

"The way you prioritize the wellbeing of Nohr" Corrin looked thoughtful.

"Alright, then let me turn that question around to you, what do you feel about all this?" Xander looked at his training sword then to Corrin.

"How about a little spar and then I'll answer your question" Corrin smiled getting into position.

"I'll have you know I've gotten stronger, so don't go holding back on me" his confidence made Xander's blood pump with eagerness.

"Actions speak louder than words Corrin, prove it to me".

Without any hesitation, Corrin struck with such speed and power that it took Xander by surprise; the high prince moved to block but was still pushed back by the sheer might alone. Regaining footing Xander pushed forward parrying away Corrin's second attack before going in for his counterattack, but Corrin had already anticipated this, he moved back avoiding the sword. Now with a small window of attack Corrin jumped in and kicked Xander in the stomach; but this proved to be a mistake, now close enough Xander easily struck Corrin's side. The two broke away, Xander rubbed his stomach while Corrin nursed his bruise. Xander was impressed, this was a big improvement from their last sparring session, and from his aggression, Corrin's intent was made clear, he was not backing down and he certainly did not intend to let Xander win.

"Color me impressed Corrin, you've certainly improved, but you're going to have to do better than that to best me" Corrin let out a wide grin.

"Going for the taunts already brother? I didn't think you would break that quickly" Xander laughed; both of them getting into a different sword stance, both of them readying themselves for the real fight.

From a distance the royal siblings and Garon watched with great interest, the way Xander and Corrin clashed swords, it was like watching two warriors dance, it was mesmerizing; they were both laughing. Clearly enjoying their fight; after about ten minutes they finally stopped and neither of them looking tired in the slightest.

"So" Corrin broke the silence. "What do you think?"

"You have proven your resolve Corrin, your words, I have understood them and I believe you" Xander replied. Elise looked very confused turning to Leo.

"What words? They didn't say a word to each other" she whispered, but it was Garon who answered.

"But they did, through their blades. Warriors who are true to their blade can speak through their swords; Xander and Corrin were not just sparring for the sake of sparring, Xander was testing Corrin's words".

Lowering his sword Xander examined the splints and dents on the blade before placing it back onto the weapons rack.

"Ever since Queen Arete passed away father has changed, he became cruel, ruthless; he wasn't the man I once looked up to, I had thought the father I once knew was gone" Xander explained then looked to their onlookers. "Regardless of shape or form, I'm glad that our real father is still how I remember him to be" Garon and Xander approached each other standing in silence before resting their hands on each others shoulder.

"Father, it's good to have you back"

"It's good to be back, it's good to be back with my family once again". It was an emotional scene for everyone, Corrin was just glad that he was able to bring their family back together.

"So what do we do about the evil father?" Elise asked, they all turned to Corrin.

"I assume you have a plan" Xander questioned, and Corrin nodded giving his siblings a confident look.

"We perform regicide" the siblings looked stunned.

"Regicide? That's crazy, it'll create too much chaos within Nohr" Leo reasoned.

"It is the only way. I had initially planned to have Garon take his body back, but we learnt that it is not possible, so the only way to win back Nohr is to put Xander on the throne" Leo and Camilla were lost with words, regicide, if done incorrectly could spell disaster for their kingdom something that is definitely not needed right now.

"Say we did go through with this plan, how do you propose we do it?" surprisingly it was Xander who asked.

"Xander! You can't possibly think of going through with this do you?" Leo asked his brother, Xander raised a hand to silence his brothers concern.

"Don't worry Leo I understand the consequences, if Corrin's plan puts our people at too much risk then I will urge we think of another plan" his reasoning seemingly calming Leo down a little.

"My plan won't harm the people, rather it will make them stronger than ever" Corrin faced Camilla, Elise, Leo, Garon then Xander. "Our kingdom is divided at the moment, we have people wanting to rebel against the capital like the Ice Tribe and some like the Wolfskins who want nothing to do with us. We must unite everyone in Nohr, unite them to our cause, show them that they are ruled by a false king and that there is still hope for this kingdom, show them that together we can all create a better future for Nohr"

"Alright, but most of those countries are ruled by corrupt nobles who would be against this, they follow the King and his cruelty" Leo pointed out.

"That is why we break them, destroy their assets so that they lose all their authority and replace them with more capable rulers. With the King's allies helpless there will be nothing to protect him and we expose him for what he really is to everyone in Nohr" Corrin turned to Xander. "That is where you come in brother, you will be the one to strike him down and take the crown"

"Oh! Just like how the shining hero comes to save the day" Elise exclaimed.

"Exactly, Xander will be seen as the one who vanquished the evil King and become a symbol of hope for the people of Nohr to follow" Corrin explained equally as excited.

"There is much more to ruling a kingdom than just saving it, but I understand what you are getting at" Xander said shaking his head at Corrin and Elise's childishness.

"But how do you plan to expose the king?" Leo asked clearly still skeptical about the plan; Corrin held up his hand showing off the Fire Emblem.

"Can that ring do it?" Xander asked.

"Yes, this has the power to reveal the King's true face" Leo sighed turning to Garon.

"Father what do you think of all this?"

"I believe that this is our best shot at uniting and saving Nohr from this corruption" his tone clearly showing the confidence he had in Corrin.

"Alright you've convinced me, you've really thought this through haven't you" the young prince said, Corrin smiled.

"Then we are with you as well Corrin, let us take back Nohr and rebuild its future" Xander announced, Camilla next to him nodding with approval.

"Yay! With all of us working together nothing can stop us!" Elise shouted pumping her hands up. Corrin looked at his siblings, he was happy, he was no longer alone, and with their combined efforts he was certain that they would be able to free Nohr from this corruption.

* * *

Corrin returned back to his room where Flora and Lilith were waiting, they quickly bowed to him with Flora looking around behind him.

"Garon has returned back into my body" Corrin said, a hint of amusement in his voice; Flora flinched looking embarrassed that she was caught. His expression now serious he went to prepare his armor and weapons.

"There was another reason why I summoned you both here" he explained unsheathing and sheathing a steel dagger. "As you might have guessed, Felicia has been captured by Kamui's forces and is being held prisoner in their camp, it won't be long before they return within Hoshidan borders"

"So what will we do?" Lilith asked.

"Lilith can you teleport us anywhere if you know the location?" Corrin asked, the servant girl nodded. "Good. Flora, go prepare your gear and meet me back here within the hour. Lilith I'm going to give you the exact location of the Hoshidan camp, I want you to teleport us a distance away from that location, can you do that?"

"Yes, but how do you know where they will be camping?" Lilith asked,

"Let's just say I know my sister very well" he answered while putting on a set of leather armor, one for silent and easy movement.

"Milord are we…" Flora left her words hanging, but Corrin knew what she wanted to ask and he nodded.

"That's right Flora, we are going to go save Felicia tonight".

* * *

Felicia sat in wonder, she could hear the people outside talking amongst themselves and though she wasn't fluent in the language, she at least knew a little bit of Hoshidan to understand that the army was scheduled to return to their capital tomorrow; she needed to make her escape tonight. Her hands were bound with rope but was lucky enough to find a sharp edge on a rock close by, she started chiseling her restraints, her bindings getting weaker with each movement. Felicia had a bad reputation of being very clumsy and incompetent in her duties as a maid, in fact she earned a very fitting nickname for herself the Mayhem Maid a name she hated; however when it came to the battlefield and her duty to protect her Lord, Felicia was the devil, her skills in combat would put even the most veteran of soldiers to shame, even Gunter, a knight who was considered one of the best praised her skill.

Hearing somebody approach, Felicia quickly moved to the center of the tent with her hands in front, making sure her binds looked intact.

"Felicia your meal for tonight and please eat it, Lady Kamui will be very upset if you refuse your meal for the sixth time" Jacob walked in with a tray of sandwiches. Felicia chose to look away from the butler causing him to look annoyed. "You have always been stubborn, Flora at least can listen to reason, you always insist on doing things your way" Jacob placed the tray in front of Felicia.

"No, I listen, I just don't listen to people who are arrogant like yourself" Felicia said, Jacob narrowed his eyes shaking his head.

"That sort of attitude is why we never can get along" he muttered turning around to leave. However unbeknownst to Jacob, Felicia now had her chance, snapping the rope she quickly jumped up to knock Jacob out, the butler fell down unconscious, Felicia using what remained of her rope, tied Jacob's hands and feet, she stole his steel daggers, securing them around her waist.

"You're right, we can never get along" she whispered before walking out. The two guards were startled by her appearance but before they could do anything, she cut their throats; dropping dead, she dragged their bodies inside the tent. Stepping back outside she looked around, the coast was clear; she was lucky it was currently late at night and most of the army were either resting in their tents or standing watch at the border of the campsite, any other time she would have been overrun with soldiers by now. She wanted to make her escape, but remembered she had some unfinished business with certain Hoshidan royals, all she needed to do was find out which tents they were in. Patting down her maid uniform she disappeared into the shadows.


	7. Rescue

**And here is the next chapter, enjoy!**

* * *

Moving swiftly through the forest, Corrin, Flora and Lilith approached the Hoshidan campsite. Flora climbed up onto a tree branch overlooking the area, the place was quiet with very little activity; not counting the lookout guards there were only a few soldiers on patrol in the camp, moving around should be easy once they were inside.

"What's the situation?" Corrin asked.

"There are five guards on our side of the camp, two samurais and three archers. There are also a few soldiers patrolling the campsite but it shouldn't prove to be a problem for us" she reported hopping back down.

"So the hard part is just getting past those guards" Corrin mumbled. The three of them were dressed in dark colors; both Corrin and Flora in full dark leather armor with a black hood and face covering to hide their head and faces; Lilith though not prepped for a battle was also dressed in the same armor as a precaution for any danger they may get themselves into.

Moving closer they hid behind the trees carefully peeking out; there was a torch stationed in between the soldiers, it's presence gave Corrin an idea. Falling back behind cover, Corrin whispered to Flora and Lilith.

"Flora, you and I will infiltrate the camp and look for Felicia. Lilith retreat deeper into the woods and be prepared to teleport us back home" the two nodded. "Flora, I'm going to extinguish the torch, when I do, I want you to take down the two on the right, I'll deal with the remaining three on the left"

"Understood, are we using lethal or nonlethal force?" Flora asked, the question made Corrin pause as he peeked back at the guards then back to Flora.

"Nonlethal, but if you deem it necessary you have my permission to use lethal force" Corrin told her; Flora was a little surprised that her lord would allow her to kill, normally the very thought of killing someone disgusted Corrin and though she hated killing as well, she knew it was unavoidable in war; it would seem that Corrin understood that now.

"Ready?" he asked, Flora nodded preparing to leap out. The Fire Emblem started to glow and once again Corrin could see trails of magic in the air, all of them a different color, he touched the trail that he recognized and immediately a gust of wind blew forward extinguishing the torch and stunning the guards.

Jumping into action Flora dashed towards the two guards kicking the first across the face and then punching the other in the stomach, knocking both of them out. When she turned to see how Corrin was doing she saw him having already dispatched the remaining three.

"Alright, let's move in. We find Felicia and then we get out" Corrin said in a hushed tone, she responded in an equally hushed voice.

"Understood".

* * *

Felicia was checking tent after tent but still no sign of any of the royals, she was losing time, she was forced to eliminate three patrol groups, she hid their bodies in obscure places but it was only a matter of time before they would be found. She stopped midway hearing voices in the distance, two female voices and one of them she was all too familiar with. Creeping towards Kamui's tent, Felicia maintained her low profile and listened in on their conversation, but much to her displeasure it was in Hoshidan.

" _Feeling better now_?" Hinoka asked.

" _A little bit_ " Kamui replied, there was a pause. " _I had better get some rest, we have a long day tomorrow_ "

" _His death wasn't your fault_ " Hinoka said, Corrin became angry more so at herself.

" _I_ _t was my fault! If only I had been stronger I could have stopped Corrin from leaving, I could have prevented him from becoming our enemy_ " she spoke with painful emotion that Felicia knew was genuine, maybe she had been too harsh on the Princess, but regardless now wasn't the time to be having regrets, she started retreating her target not among them. She however stopped, feeling a blade at her throat.

"Don't move" she heard, she recognized the voice, it belonged to a ninja named Kaze a former prisoner of Nohr and from what Felicia knew, he was assigned to be Kamui's retainer alongside Jacob; she cursed herself for being careless, she should have known there would be guards around a princess' tent, she needed to defeat him now if she had hopes of maintaining her presence unknown. "I don't know how you escaped but this is as far as you go" he said but before Kaze could restrain Felicia, the maid threw her head back slamming into Kaze's face, she then elbowed his stomach before pushing his blade away, twisting his arm and throwing him to the ground. Winded by the impact Kaze quickly swiped his leg across the ground but Felicia jumped up and away from him.

"I will admit you caught me by surprise there, but that ends now, come with me quietly and I'm sure Lady Kamui won't think any of it" he assured her. Felicia narrowed her eyes drawing her daggers; Kaze noticed them and sighed. "Lady Kamui will be very upset if you were harmed so please lay down your weapon, I don't want to fight you" he pleaded, however Felicia didn't budge.

"That's too bad, because I really want to hurt you right now" she answered and lunged at Kaze.

Hinoka was hearing strange noises outside, she silenced Kamui and prompted her to also listen, the noises were clearly of somebody fighting; rushing outside, Hinoka and Kamui were shocked to find Felicia on top of Kaze trying to force her dagger through his eye.

"Kaze!" Kamui screamed loud enough to wake up some people in the camp. Hinoka pulled Felicia away from Kaze. "Kaze are you alright?" Kamui asked running to his side.

"I'm fine Milady, I just… I just made the mistake of underestimating her" he replied out of breath. Kamui looked at her retaining finding multiple gashes across his arms, legs and abdomen, luckily nothing severe, she turned to Felicia who was struggling within Hinoka's grasp.

"How did you escape?" she demanded. "And where is Jacob?" Hinoka pushed Felicia to the ground using her body weight to keep her down. "Where is Jacob!" Kamui demanded again this time with anger in her voice, Felicia did not answer; a few soldiers came to view.

"Go check the prisoners tent" Kamui ordered them, two of them nodded running towards their destination. The crowed of people was growing all of them curious of what the commotion was about. From the corner of Felicia's eye she spotted her target, Prince Takumi. With all her might she threw Hinoka off, grabbing a dagger she flung it at the young Prince; the blade soared through the air but Kamui jumped in front taking the dagger to the shoulder.

"Kamui!" Hinoka yelled, two soldiers moved in to tackle Felicia but the maid fought back, stabbing one in the leg and punching the other across the jaw; Takumi who had Fujin Yumi in hand drew an arrow pointing directly at Felicia, he released the bowstring letting the arrow fly; Felicia quickly grabbed one soldier using him as a shield, the arrow struck the soldier in the back before she threw him into the other soldier; Felicia then made another attempt at Takumi's life, but this time her knife was deflected by a spear with a very angry Oboro glaring at the maid.

" _Nohrian scum!_ " the spearwoman charged at Felicia but before their weapons met, Felicia was struck with a hex rendering the maid in a weakened state. Azama approached with his hexing rod in hand, a frown on his face.

" _This is quite the commotion, aren't we all supposed to be sleeping?_ " he asked.

" _Forget about that!_ " Hinoka screamed. " _Restrain her! And bring in some healers!_ " four soldiers held Felicia down who was too weak to do anything. Hinoka checked on Kamui's wound while a shrine maiden appeared to check up on the injured soldiers; Oboro pointed the tip of her spear at the maid ensuring she didn't try anything.

* * *

From afar Corrin and Flora were watching from atop a tree; the situation was getting out of hand and with so many people gathered it would be difficult to rescue Felicia.

"What should we do milord?" Flora whispered; Corrin looked afar noticing something interesting.

"We need to thin out the people gathered" he pointed to some carts in the distance. "We're going to create a distraction".

Disappearing from the tree the two quickly rushed to the wagons, with everyone so occupied with Felicia's little stunt Corrin and Flora were able to freely move around. Looking inside one of the carts Corrin found it stacked with food and supplies, he was surprised that there was nobody guarding them, was Felicia's stunt that interesting that the soldiers would abandon their posts? Either way, he wasn't complaining this only made things much easier for him.

"We're going to burn the wagons" he said; Flora stared at him wide eyed.

"Milord? But what about the supplies, it would be a waste wouldn't it?" Corrin blinked realized the way his orders sounded, clearing his throat he clarified.

"Sorry I was in the heat of the moment, what I meant to say is we're going to steal their supplies and burn the empty wagons" he pointed to the horses. "Flora you take the wagon and ride away with the supplies, meet up with Lilith, I will be back with Felicia" Flora with haste led two horses and tied them to their desired cart, she climbed onto the driver's seat feeling nervous, she didn't like the idea of splitting up.

"Be careful milord" she said, Corrin noticed her concern and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry about me. You be sure to stay safe; you'll most likely be spotted by the lookout so I'll make sure to create a big enough diversion for you to make it back to Lilith safely" he said; Flora nodded snapping the reins signalling the horses to begin galloping away. Watching Flora disappear into the darkness of the woods he saw the lookout begin to stir ready to set off the alarm; Corrin quickly released the horses and the pegasi, their cries catching the attention of the guards as the soldiers rushed to try and catch them. He then grabbed a torch and set fire to the other carts, with the fire blazing uncontrollably he ran back into the campsite.

* * *

Kamui held her wound while Hinoka was trying to calm everybody down, she looked over to Felicia who was glaring viciously at her; Takumi walked to her side.

" _You alright_?" he asked, Kamui nodded. " _And um… thanks for taking the knife for me_ " he muttered, Kamui smiled at him.

" _No need to thank me, you would have done the same for me_ " Takumi looked away a little embarrassed. A soldier returned whispering something into her ear, her eye's widened, clenching her fist. Then there was cry for help, she turned to the voice seeing a massive fire in the distance.

" _Our Supplies! Somebody go extinguish the fire!_ " she screamed her order, a large number of soldiers heeding her cries rushed to the scene.

" _What are the soldiers posted there doing!_ " Hinoka yelled. Kamui quickly turned to Felicia noticing a glint in the maid's eye, she approached the maid, eyes brimming with rage she yelled at their captive.

"What did you do! Answer me Felicia!"

"I killed them" her answer caused everyone around her with a weapon to point them at her.

"You've killed two prison guards and now four more of our soldiers, how many more did you kill?" Kamui demanded, Felicia went silent choosing to bury her face in the dirt. Takumi was getting restless reading his bow.

" _I knew keeping her alive was going to be a problem_ " he snarled. " _We kill her now, who knows what trouble she'll cause if we bring her back_ " Oboro and Hinata followed their Lord's lead bringing their weapon closer to Felicia; Kamui wanted to stop them but someone else beat her to the punch.

"I would put away your weapons" a voice spoke out, it was Nohrian, everyone turned to the voice and was horrified, standing there was an assassin holding Sakura hostage, he had a knife to her throat.

" _Big sister_..." she whimpered out, clearly terrified at her current predicament.

" _Lady Sakura!_ " both Hana and Subaki screamed.

"Please speak in a language I understand" the assassin requested, he noticed he was being surrounded. "And I wouldn't try anything if you want your Princess unharmed" his words forced everyone to freeze up and back away.

"What do you want" Kamui asked.

"For you to release the maid" he answered. Kamui looked between the assassin and Sakura, her fist clenched, her hands were tied, anything she tried would result in harming Sakura, both Hinoka and Takumi were furious and were ready to tear the man piece by piece. The assassin brought his blade closer to Sakura's throat. "Hurry up now, I don't have all night" Kamui raised her hand almost in a begging way.

"Alright! Just don't harm her!" she ordered her soldiers. "Release Felicia" the two soldiers pulled Felicia to her feet handing her over to Kamui. Felicia was reluctant, she glanced back at Takumi with narrowed eyes, her target was so close, she was so close to achieving her revenge. But before she could do anything the assassin pulled her away.

"Now release Sakura" Kamui demanded, the assassin shook his head.

"I don't think so, the moment I release her you'll assault us. No, the princess comes with me until we leave camp"

" _Nohrian scum_! _Release her now before I pierce your head with an arrow_!" Takumi threatened.

"Like I said speak in a language I understand; but then again, I don't need to understand to know when I'm being threatened" the assassin said digging his blade against Sakura's throat but not enough to draw blood. Hana and Subaki were looking for any moment to rescue their liege but much to their displeasure the assassin showed none. The assassin started moving backwards with Sakura in tow, he signaled Felicia to follow; Kamui and the others followed closely and were on high alert; the tension was high and nobody dared to make any reckless movement in fear for Sakura. Takumi maintained a steady hand on his bow ready to take a shot whenever the chance showed itself. Kamui looked outwardly calm but was seething with rage on the inside, she felt helpless and she hated it.

At the outskirts of the camp the assassin stopped to look at the soldiers, from Kamui to the angry Takumi and the royal retainers. The two sides were at a stand off, and while the assassin was thinking of a way to get away without having a barrage of arrows thrown their way; Kamui was thinking of a plan to capture the assassin without him hurting Sakura. The assassin was running out of time, if he lingered any longer more soldiers would gather and that would make a clean escape difficult.

"Sorry Sakura" the assassin whispered into the princess' ear before kicking her away into the ground; Hana and Subaki were quick to rush to her side, checking for any injuries. Now with the chance, Takumi let loose an arrow but was shocked to find a powerful gust of wind blow through them, it deflected the arrow and rendered everybody in a stunned state, by the time they recovered the assassin and Felicia were gone.

* * *

Deep in the woods and far away from the Hoshidan camp, Felicia was recovering from the hex, her strength was coming back but she still felt uneasy, especially with her rescuers presence; she didn't know who sent him or if he was friendly or foe, for all she knew the man could have been sent to capture her for interrogation or to ensure her silence, either way if it meant preventing her revenge she was going to do everything in her power to fight back.

"Felicia!" she heard, which was strange, she must not have fully recovered from the hex because she was hearing her sister call out to her. "Felicia!" there it was again, she turned around seeing Flora rush towards her and catching her in a hug.

"You're alright!" Flora spoke with great relief, she stepped back inspecting Felicia like a delicate flower. "You're not injured are you?" she asked.

"I'm fine Flora" Felicia said still a little surprised to find her sister here, from afar she saw Lilith walking towards them, and for a moment she was reminded of the happier moments back in the Northern Fortress prompting her mood to become gloomy, she looked ashamed with herself.

"What's the matter Felicia?" Flora asked.

"I'm sure you've heard, but Lord Corrin has died" Felicia started tearing up. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry I couldn't protect him" all her pent up grief finally pouring out, large tears streaming down her face; Flora went up to her twin hugging her while stroking her hair trying to calm her down.

"It's alright, it's alright now Felicia" she repeated, but Felicia broke away a little angry her sister's reaction.

"How is it okay? Lord Corrin is gone!" she yelled. "I… I tried to kill his killer but I wasn't strong enough" the assassin suddenly spoke up

"I'm a little shocked, you aren't the type of person to swear vengeance" Felicia leered at the man but noticed how Flora and Lilith were looking at the him weirdly; the man cleared his throat. "Sorry I had to change my voice so I didn't sound too familiar" Felicia hearing the familiar voice was utterly shocked; the assassin removed his hood and face covering revealing himself.

"Lord Corrin?" Felicia whispered in disbelief, Corrin smiled warmly at her.

"It's good to see you again Felicia" he expected a reaction from her but Felicia just stood absolutely stunned; chuckling he opened out his arms, Felicia on instinct jumped into his arms hugging him back and crying into his chest. "It's okay now, I'm back" he said. Flora and Lilith watched their heartwarming reunion with great joy; out of the three of them, Felicia was probably the closest to Corrin, having spent more time serving and protecting him, she took his supposed death the hardest. Finally calming down Felicia stepped away wiping her tears before being flicked in the forehead by Corrin.

"Ow" she cried.

"That's for being so reckless, you were almost killed" he scolded with a frown.

"B-But I thought they killed you" she whimpered.

"That still doesn't excuse you for your actions" Felicia looked sad, but Corrin sighed placing his hands on his waist, "Just promise me you won't ever do something so reckless again" Felicia looked into Corrin's concerned eye's, she nodded making him smile satisfied.

Now came the questions, Felicia was sure that falling into the Bottomless Canyon meant death, so how was it that her liege looked unharmed, in fact why did he seem so different, the way he presented himself, the way he talked, it was like he matured overnight.

"Um, Milord, how did you survive your fall?" she asked.

"It's quite the story so I'll explain when we return" Corrin answered, he turned his attention to the others. "Flora what of the supplies?"

"They are ready to be transported back" she reported, he nodded approvingly.

"Good, Lilith are you ready to take us home?"

"Yes, whenever you're ready to leave Lord Corrin" he started walking in the direction of the portal beckoning them to follow.

"Perfect, then let's go home".


	8. Return to the Ice

**Sorry for such a late update, things happened and wasn't able to get this one out when I wanted it to. But regardless enjoy! And let me know what you think.**

* * *

 _"Hey, stop pushing" a little boy hissed to his twin sister, the two were peeking out from behind a corner observing their mother who was busy hanging up laundry._

 _"You stop pushing" the girl hissed back, the two children struggled against each other; surprisingly, despite how much noise they were making they were still unnoticed by their mother, this made them stop and look closer, their mother looked sad, contrast to her usual cheerful smiles._

 _"Do you think it was because we did something wrong?" Corrin asked._

 _"Must be because you broke Mother's favorite plate" Kamui said causing Corrin to panic._

 _"B-but it was an accident!" he exclaimed._

 _"Yes but it was Mother's favorite plate, how would you feel if someone broke your favorite toy" Kamui explained, Corrin looked saddened realizing his mistake._

 _"I didn't mean to do it" he mumbled, Kamui tapped her brother's shoulder._

 _"Come on, I have an idea to make Mother smile again" she said before running off. Corrin followed his twin but was flabbergasted to find her rummaging through a garbage pile._

 _"What are you doing?" he asked; Kamui jumped out with a glass shard in hand._

 _"Found it!" She yelled triumphantly, Corrin recognized it._

 _"Isn't that the plate I broke?" he asked, Kamui nodded looking very proud of herself._

 _"That's right! We fix the plate and surprise Mother, I'm sure it'll make her very happy"._

 _"But there are so many pieces, how are we going to find them all?" Kamui widened her smile pointing at the large pile of garbage._

 _"Through our wits" she said, Corrin stared a little skeptical._

 _"Do you even know what that means?" He asked, Kamui shook her head._

 _"No, but it sounds smart!" She answered while jumping back into the pile, Corrin was hesitant but in the end followed his twins lead._

* * *

 _Mikoto sighed looking up at the sky, the world seemed so distant, so empty, it was like a piece of her was missing and that everything just felt so wrong now. She knew why such feelings overwhelmed her but there was nothing she could do about it, only to force herself to move past these thoughts and not let it interfere with her life, she needed to be strong, strong for her children, strong for herself._

 _"Mikoto" she heard a voice call, whirling her head she looked around but found nothing. "Mikoto" the voice called again, the voice was so close yet so far; her eyes started to water, her heart clenched, she missed him so much._

 _"Anankos" she whispered but there was no response, she let out a loud sigh before turning away and returning to her duties; thinking about her beloved only ever dulled her mood._

 _She looked out to the distance, the city was getting restless; for the past week the people have been preparing for tonight's festival, a grand event to celebrate the founding of Valla. It brought a smile to her face, brightening her mood, it would be the twin's first festival and she was sure they will be very excited for it. Speaking of her children she hasn't seen them for some time now, normally they would be bothering her about lunch at this time. She quickly finished up her laundry and made her way into the house, it was quiet, too quiet for her comfort; running from room to room she started to worry._

 _"Kamui! Corrin!" She yelled but still no response, she then heard a cry from outside, it was Corrin; running outside she was prepared to defend her children from anyone who dared to hurt them. Arriving she was relieved to find them not in any immediate danger; however Corrin was on the verge of tears, Kamui was by his side trying to calm him down attempting to nurse an injury he received, she was also tearing up._

 _"Corrin! What happened?" Mikoto rushed to her son, it was a nasty cut. "What happened? How did you get this?" It was Kamui who responded with teary sobs._

 _"Sorry Mother, I didn't mean to get Corrin hurt we only wanted to - to surprise you"_

 _"Don't be angry at Kamui mother" Corrin pleaded in between his own sobs. Mikoto looked between her children, she noticed the glass pieces; the plate was a gift from Anankos many years ago, she remembered the embarrassed look her lover gave her when he presented it to her saying something along the lines of not understanding how gifts work, it was an awkward moment between them but she cherished the memory regardless._

 _"I'm not angry" she finally said. "I was just worried" Mikoto led them into the house._

 _"We wanted to fix the plate I broke" Corrin explained still crying. Setting Corrin on a chair Mikoto quickly brought out a healing staff and closed the wound before wrapping it in bandages._

 _"I know you meant well but please don't do something so dangerous again" she scolded them; Corrin nodded now calm from his pain. Kamui peered over Mikoto's shoulder worried for her brother, she muttered into her mother's ear_

 _"Sorry Mother but you looked so sad; we wanted to make you happy again"_

 _"What do you mean?" Mikoto asked._

 _"You've been looking very sad these days" Kamui answered; Mikoto stopped to look at her children, both were still teary eyed. Mikoto bit her lip holding in her sorrow, she pulled both into a hug._

 _"I'm sorry I worried you both, but I'm all better now" she told them, this brought some relief to the twins._

 _"Really?" Corrin asked, Mikoto nodded bringing her children closer._

 _"Yes, because I know I have two loving children in my life" she kissed both of them on the cheek bringing a smile to the children's faces while they hugged their mother back._

* * *

 _That night, the sky was lit up by the flare of lanterns and the crackles of fireworks. The festival was packed with people; there was food, performers and games. Corrin and Kamui were jumping with excitement, they were not used to seeing so many people in one place._

 _"Mother! Mother!" The twins called out in unison. "Over there!" they pointed to the dancers._

 _"Yes, yes, but don't run off too far, you don't want to get lost" but the twins were too mesmerized to hear, they bolted into the crowded audience; luckily Mikoto kept a focused eye on them and was able to find them among the many people; bending down she brought Corrin and Kamui closer while they watched the performers dance._

 _"Did you know I used to dance as well" she told them, the twins were surprised, turning to their mother with sparkling eyes._

 _"Really!" Kamui exclaimed, Mikoto nodded._

 _"That's right when I was a little girl I used to dance with my sister" she said._

 _"Sister?" Corrin asked, Kamui was jumping up and down eager to answer._

 _"Oh, oh, Aunt Arete!" Mikoto nodded._

 _"That's correct, but remember to address her as your Majesty" the children's innocent eyes shone with confusion but nodded anyways obeying their mother's words._

 _"Yes Mother!"_

 _The trio continued to wander, exploring the many interesting things that were on display; Corrin and Kamui were dashing from stall to stall glancing over the many unique trinkets that were being sold. Kamui suddenly stopped, something catching her interest, Mikoto followed her daughter's gaze._

 _"Lady Mikoto" the vender greeted. "And greetings to you two as well Lady Kamui and Lord Corrin. May I interest you in any of my wares?"_

 _"Greetings" Mikoto greeted back, she bent down next to the twins; her daughter picked up a locket, gazing at its beauty; it was a pretty little thing, made from silver with flower like engravings etched onto the surface, there was a crack that seemed to allow the locket to split into three pieces._

 _"Is that the one you want?" she asked Kamui, the girl nodded; handing the man the money the trio continued walking, Corrin was watching curiously as Kamui fidgeted with the locket; suddenly she split it into three pieces, surprising the boy, she handed the other two parts to Corrin and Mikoto._

 _"That way we each have one" she told them, Mikoto stared at it letting out a soft laugh._

 _"Three parts of a whole" Mikoto muttered to herself, Corrin didn't really understand but was glad to see his mother so happy. Mikoto pulled them both into hug, whispering into their ears. "That's right, we'll always be together"._

* * *

Eyes shooting open Corrin stared at the ceiling in deep wonder, his eyes darted around the room recognizing the familiar architecture, he was back in Nohr. Sitting up he rubbed his eyes trying to comprehend what he just saw, he was certain it was a dream, yet it felt so real; their smiles, their happiness, their bonds with each other, Corrin couldn't help but feel a little jealous of it all.

"Did you see it as well?" Corrin asked, Garon appeared next to his bedside.

"I did; visions of the past maybe?" he said.

"Or wishful thinking" Corrin suggested.

"What do you mean?" Garon asked, Corrin gave him a pained smile.

"A world where my mother never left Valla" Garon understood what he was implying but couldn't quite agree.

"As harsh as I may sound, I do not believe them to be mere dreams, they mean something much more than that; it would be wise to not think lightly of them" he told him, Corrin reassured him with a smile.

"Don't worry I won't, but I just can't help but imagine what my life would be like" Garon looked away feeling sympathetic for the boy.

"I'm sorry..." he muttered, he then heard the door open and quickly disappeared. Felicia waltzed in with the widest smile Corrin has ever seen her have.

"Good Morning Lord Corrin" she sang.

"You look happy, something good happen?" Corrin asked; Felicia shook her head.

"No, I'm just happy to be back in your service Lord Corrin" she replied, Corrin chuckled getting out of bed. Felicia brought out a water basin and carefully placed it by the bedside; Corrin noticed Felicia's wet hair and clothes and could only imagine the sort of trouble she got herself into on the way here, Felicia however didn't seem bothered by it. "Milord" she said catching his attention. "Flora tells me you are going to meet with your new troops" she started preparing Corrin a fresh set of clothes. "I didn't know we had troops to spare".

"We don't" he replied while washing his face. "We are meeting with our old troops" he answered; Felicia was baffled.

"Wha…. But, but they abandoned us Milord! Isn't that an offence punishable by death?" she asked.

"Yes, but I vouched for their release".

"Why? Aren't you afraid they will betray you again?" she asked him feeling very nervous all of a sudden, it wasn't she disliked their old troops, but she couldn't forgive them either.

"It is only natural that my incompetence would lead to their distrust, besides, despite their betrayal, those soldiers are good people" Felicia wanted to retort but the fire in Corrin's eyes made her silence herself; her liege was determined and she would do everything in her power to support him, but she would remain vigilant for him, if any of those soldiers even considered betraying her Lord again she would personally deliver their punishment.

* * *

The barracks was a large stone building situated in the outskirts of Windmire, though it was one of many situated in the capital, this particular building was the oldest, being one of the first to be built. Though with the condition it was in now, many wouldn't mind for it to be rebuilt from the ground up; there were patches of moss covering the sides of the walls, bits and pieces of the stone were missing, overall it created a fragile image for the building.

Corrin was accompanied by Felicia and Flora, and much to Flora's displeasure who had insisted he wear an armor befitting a prince, Corrin was suited up in a regular black and grey cavalier armor.

"Corrin!" a man standing outside the barracks greeted them.

"Silas!" Corrin returned the gesture. "It's good to see you, how's the leg?" Silas looked down at his right foot moving it around.

"Fully healed and I'm ready to be back in action" he reported. Silas was one of the few who had remained loyal to Corrin to the very end; however he broke his leg and was out of commission for two skirmishes including the Battle at the Bottomless Canyon. Corrin raised his brows commenting on Silas' expression.

"You look a little too happy to see me, something happen?" Silas chuckled scratching the back of his head.

"I'm just glad the rumors were true" he replied.

"Rumors?" Corrin asked.

"Well you were declared dead by a lot of people, but just yesterday word spread of your return, and many believe it to be a false rumor"

"Hmm" Corrin murmured, a little amused; he then shrugged his shoulders before slapping Silas on the shoulder and walked past him. "Then why don't we go surprise the non believers?" he joked. Silas stared at the back of Corrin's head, he heard Felicia giggle at his reaction.

"Don't worry we were all surprised by how much Lord Corrin has changed" she said following into the building.

"Surprised is putting it lightly, Corrin feels like a completely different person, he's normally very nervous when meeting with the troops, never this relaxed" Silas mumbled.

"Milord has been through a lot, more so than you can imagine; for now just go along with it, I'm sure Lord Corrin will explain it to you when he wants to" Flora told him while quickly catching up to the others. Silas was bewildered; he could only wonder what has happened in the last few days.

The inside was equally as rundown, bearing only the basic necessities for soldiers to live. The stone walls were giving off a moldy smell and there were multiple patches on the ceiling, quite unappealing for newcomers but compared to other accommodations, it was at least habitable. Out in the training yard gathered twenty soldiers, all of them discussing about their surprising release from prison; some were speculating the reason, while others were just glad to be free. Corrin walked into view with Flora and Silas, Felicia had gone off to help Lilith with their travel preparations. Eyeing the members of his platoon, Corrin smirked at the surprised faces they were making; some of them even had their jaws wide open.

"Greetings!" He announced. "You all look like you're doing well" there was a long silence, nobody knew how to reply. "What? You all look like you've seen a ghost"

"They said you were dead" one of them said, Corrin looked at who spoke, a man by the name of Baxter, someone who disliked him quite a bit, though more for his leadership rather than him as an individual.

"Then consider me back from the dead" Corrin stood in front of his soldiers. "But I heard you were all put in prison, what was that like?"

"Better than being here" Baxter mumbled. "Were you the one who ordered our release?" he asked with a hint of disdain in his voice. Corrin shrugged his shoulders clearly humoring himself.

"I may have put in a word or two to the King" Baxter was peeved, more so at Corrin's nonchalant attitude, he stomped to the front.

"Why? Are you that stupid that you would trust us again?" despite his intention to belittle and insult Corrin, the young Prince just laughed it off.

"Well I do love a challenge" his remark angered many, some were outwardly voicing out their distaste while others wanted to run up and take a hit at their commander. Silas was standing on the sidelines worried, he moved in ready to calm the soldiers but Corrin signaled him to stand back; Silas didn't know what the Prince had planned but obeyed regardless.

Corrin walked into the crowd, the soldiers stepping back as he approached, they soon encircled him. Corrin didn't look nervous in the slightest nor did he look afraid, rather his posture, his body movement, his expression, they all screamed out authority.

"Most of you were recruited into the army while some signed up, but all of you were of common birth" he started to say. "You were all considered to be the worst of the worst in the army, the useless burden, that's why you were thrown onto me, the wet behind the ears commander, but even an amateur could tell how useless you all are" by now the soldiers were getting restless, all of them wanting to tear their Commander to pieces, which was exactly how Corrin wanted it to play out. Flora was concerned but was ordered not to interfere; she however had her fingers over the grip of her knives.

"You have no right to criticize us!" Baxter yelled; Corrin faced him.

"Then why don't you come prove it?" it was an invitation, everyone knew that and most of them were eager to comply. Baxter was the first to attack, running up to Corrin taking a swing; unfortunately for him Corrin easily dodged the fist and was quick to apprehend him, throwing him onto the ground and painfully restraining his arm; then came the rest, they came in twos, threes and fours, all of them trying to land a hit onto Corrin, but the Prince was too slippery, gracefully dodging and countering all of their punches; by the end, fifteen of the twenty soldiers were on the ground writhing in pain, Corrin looked to the remaining five.

"What about the rest of you?" he asked, but was quite surprised to see a woman raise her hand.

"Yes Fay?"

"If I may boldly ask?" Corrin nodded for her to continue. "It's quite clear that you are purposefully angering us, why?" Fay has always been a perceptive individual, never leaving a single detail unturned, and though she respected Corrin's devotion to saving everyone. she just didn't believe it was appropriate when it cost the lives of their own people.

"You guys are obviously angry and what other way to release steam than to fight it out" Fay didn't look convinced; but at that moment Baxter jumped back onto his feet and charged at Corrin again, the Prince stepped to the side and tripped him causing the man to crash into the dirt, Corrin knelt down next to him.

"You feeling a little better?" Baxter didn't respond instead he just rolled over to attack Corrin again. Casually catching the fist Corrin sighed disheartened. "I'll take that as a no" he stood up. "I didn't expect you all to get over your hatred towards me but I had hoped you would at least cool your heads, I guess I expected too much" he told them, the soldiers flinched at his stare, he wasn't glaring or anything, in fact he was expressionless, but that made him even more terrifying. "Prepare your gear and something warm, we march for the Ice Tribe within the hour" he ordered them. Fay watched their commander walk off, she didn't know what to make of his change; he seemed more in control, very different from the feeble man she was used to, and that wasn't a bad thing.

"Silas" Corrin called his friend, the young knight turned his attention to him. "Help them prepare, it's going to be a long journey and I don't want any mishaps to occur just because they were ill prepared" Silas giving a short bow complied with his orders.

Flora held a careful eye on the soldiers, most of them were in disarray and she felt protective for her liege, the soldiers were far too hostile for Flora to rest easy.

"Is it wise to rile them up like that Lord Corrin?" she asked. "I can't help but feel that it will only cause the opposite effect of what you have planned"

"My words are empty to those soldiers; I must earn their trust through my actions" he explained to her in a hushed whisper.

"Still, is angering them like that really the way to do it?" she questioned.

"It isn't, but with little time we have, it's our best shot" Flora's eyes hardened watching Corrin sternly.

"And if they decide to turn on you again?" Corrin grinned placing a hand on her shoulder.

"That's why I have you watching my back" he told her, Flora flushed red, embarrassed by the sudden praise.

"Of course!" she responded. "I won't let anyone harm you Milord" he chuckled walking into the building.

"I know you won't".

When Corrin and Flora met Lilith in the stables they were treated to quite a sight; Felicia was crying for help while a horse munched on her hair, Lilith did her best to separate the two but was having little luck, Flora ran up to help but somehow only made it worse.

"Alright Felicia you need to be calm, otherwise Bucky here will only be more aggressive" Lilith told her, but Felicia was jumping around flailing her arms.

"I am calm!" she exclaimed, Lilith just groaned into her hand before finally stepping it up, she placed a hand on the horse's cheek and gently stroked its forehead with her other hand, her eyes started glowing as she whispered words to the horse; Lilith did this so subtly that she was sure nobody would notice, but unknown to her, Corrin did, he saw the hypnotizing magic she used but chose not to say anything, at least not yet. The horse finally released Felicia's hair and the maid ran to the other side of the room.

"Are you alright Felicia?" he asked.

"I'm fine… just a little grossed out at the moment…" she mumbled, Corrin laughed, Felicia looked ready to cry. "How mean Lord Corrin!"

"Sorry, sorry, I just can't help it. You can go clean up after I've briefed you three on our mission" he told her, he leaned against a wall crossing his arms, he didn't know how to explain it to his retainers without them worrying too much, they and their tribe have already been through a lot.

"As you both know we are going back to the Ice Tribe; it is only fair that I inform you of the reason"

"Is it not just a scouting mission?" Felicia asked, Flora however, already knew what to expect, unlike her sister she feared for the worst. Corrin shook his head before continuing.

"Sadly no, according to sources, the Ice Tribe has been acting up lately, the reason why? We do not know, but the King does not like it, we have been sent to investigate and deal with it accordingly" he explained.

"Milord, when you say deal with accordingly you can't possibly mean…" Flora hesitated to continue but Corrin knew what she wanted to say.

"Yes, the King wants me to eliminate the Ice Tribe" Felicia and Lilith looked horrified while Flora was seething with anger; he quickly silenced them. "However, I will not let that happen; do not worry, I promise you I won't let anything happen to your tribe" despite his reassurance Flora was still worried; either way if things go wrong she will do what she must to protect her people.

* * *

The journey to the Ice Tribe was surprisingly pleasant, Corrin had expected to run into some roadblocks whether it be Faceless sent by Iago or any bandits that normally roamed the area, but there was nothing, just a quiet march to their destination and that wasn't even an exaggeration, nobody said anything throughout their long journey, it was awkward but at the same time allowed everybody to ease away their rage; though now they just felt uneasy, especially since they didn't know the purpose of travelling to the Ice Tribe. When it started getting colder everybody was barely able to cope; Flora and Felicia of course were unaffected by the temperature despite dressing in their normal maid uniform. Once in awhile a blizzard would blow past stalling their progress and Corrin would slow down to ensure everyone's safety, that aspect the soldiers realized was unchanged.

Upon arriving to the front gates, the guards were quick to stop them; they raised their weapons at Corrin and his forces. Corrin maintained order with his soldiers; they were a little reluctant to comply at first but a quick glare from the prince silenced them.

"Flora" Corrin called. "Do you think you can get me an audience with your father?"

"Of course" Flora answered making her way to the front gate, the guards upon seeing the chieftain's daughter lowered their guard allowing her to approach.

"What do you make of this Corrin?" Silas whispered, Corrin stroked his chin, his eyes scanning the village wall, there were clearly signs of a recent battle, but with whom he wasn't sure.

"Not sure yet" he answered.

"Could it have been Faceless?" Felicia asked also noticing the remnants of a battle. "I mean not many people come to our village since most people can't seem to deal with the cold" Corrin seemed skeptical.

"You're right about that, but call it a hunch, I don't think it's Faceless"

"Speaking of which Corrin, could you tell us why we've come back?" Silas asked. Corrin quickly explained it to him.

"Long story short, the King ordered me to investigate the Ice Tribe. For now just follow my lead and make sure the others don't make any suggestive actions, the Ice Tribe already looks uneasy, we don't want a repeat of what happened last time"

"But Father already promised to cooperate with you Lord Corrin" Felicia cried, she looked worried and Corrin could understand why, she didn't want the friendship between her father and liege to end after it was so carefully forged.

"Don't worry Felicia, I'm certain a fight won't break out between us, I just don't want to cause trouble for your people" he reassured. Their conversation was interrupted when Flora returned.

"I managed to convince them to let you in Lord Corrin" she told him. "But I'm required to escort you; the others however will have to wait here, I'm afraid due to recent events all outsiders are not allowed to enter" Corrin nodded.

"That's fine" he then turned to Felicia. "Stay with the troops, we'll be back soon"

"Understood!" Corrin smiled at her eagerness before following Flora into the village.

There was an atmosphere of great distress in the village; the people were on constant alert watching Corrin's movement to the very detail. The guards maintained a defensive wall around the civilians, while the children were ushered into their homes. Kilma met them halfway, Corrin noticing the heavy bags under his eyes, he didn't look exactly happy to see him.

"Chieftain Kilma" Corrin greeted.

"Prince Corrin" he returned the gesture. "I heard you were killed in combat, glad to see that is not the case"

"I didn't think such rumors would travel this far" the prince commented.

"News travels fast, I wouldn't underestimate it" Corrin didn't answer, but formed a playful grin hoping to lighten the mood, but to no avail; Kilma maintained a stern posture, he quickly greeted his daughter then turned his attention back to the prince. "So what brings you here?"

"To put it bluntly the King sent me here because there was word that the Ice Tribe was preparing for war again" Corrin paused. "Well he didn't put it that way but the implication was there" Kilma frowned, his people hearing what was said placed their hands over their weapons; luckily Kilma raised a hand signaling them to remain calm. "And if we were?" Corrin shrugged.

"Well… Things get complicated, for the sake of both of us just tell me what is happening" Kilma let out a heavy sigh.

"Our village has been under siege for the past few weeks, we've been fortifying our defenses ever since" Flora looked concerned she peered at Corrin seeing him maintain a calm demeanor. "Perhaps it would be better to talk in my study" the Chieftain said gesturing them to follow, the two were happy to oblige.

Kilma's study was surprisingly warm, Corrin had thought it would at least be chilly considering how the rest of the village maintained the cold theme, but he couldn't complain, he certainly welcomed the warmth. He and Kilma were sitting face to face with Flora serving them tea. Corrin was the first to speak.

"Before you speak, I just want to let you know that my soldiers and I are here to help, we have no intention of harming your people" he assured the chieftain.

"I know, but for the sake of my people I must not lower my guard, I hope you understand".

"Fair enough, I would probably do the same if I was in your position. As long as we are at an understanding" Corrin said taking a sip of his tea. "So tell me everything". Kilma leaned back on his chair.

"Where to start" he muttered, he looked at Flora then to Corrin, both were silent, ready to hear what he had to say. "It started three weeks ago, at first it was a small scale attack, ten to twenty soldiers, nothing we couldn't deal with; but then as days went by, more and more started coming, soon hundreds of them started attacking" the two could clearly see the frustration on Kilma's face. "Every day we would be fighting to push them back, we've reached our limit, it's only a matter of time before they overwhelm us" Corrin noticed Flora's troubled look despite her trying to hide it, she had words to say but didn't want to speak out, so Corrin decided to speak for her.

"Why didn't you call back your daughters? Surely they could have helped" Flora looked thankful; she squeezed her fingers in anticipation for her Fathers response.

"Nothing would have changed; this enemy, they were unlike anything we've seen before, they were relentless, fearless, it was like they didn't know death" Corrin's heart skipped a beat; the description he gave was far too similar to the Fallen.

"But you were able to repel them" he commented trying to be optimistic, Kilma didn't seem to agree.

"Only barely; I don't know who they are but they don't seem to be Nohrian nor Hoshidan"

"So you're saying a third party; could they be hired mercenaries?" Corrin suggested.

"I highly doubt it" his answer made Corrin wonder; he was certain they were Fallen but he needed proper proof.

"Have they attacked today?" he asked, Kilma shook his head.

"No, they always attack at noon"

"So only an hour away then" Corrin muttered. "Chief Kilma, my men will help you with your defense, please tell your people to not be hostile to them"

"And what of your assignment?" Kilma questioned him. Corrin smiled answering him in a positive tone.

"I'm doing what I was ordered to do, investigate and act accordingly". Corrin already had a friendly relationship with the Ice Tribe, now he aimed to strengthen that bond, hopefully by helping the tribe he could convince them to join the cause to take down the imposter King. Flora's voice broke him out of his thoughts.

"Lord Corrin, based on what Father said, our forces alone won't be enough to hold the enemy back". Unlike her liege, Flora was not as confident, she was tempted to tell her father to have the tribe retreat and relocate but she had a feeling her father wouldn't have any of that.

"It's not about numbers Flora, it's about the strategy" he said sensing her uncertainty. "Chief Kilma tell me what you've learnt about the enemy, their behavior, their equipment and their tactics. I want to know everything" Kilma had to think hard, there was a lot to say about these foes.

"As I said before, unlike regular soldiers they seemed to not fear death, they would take all of our attacks and keep moving forward, their skills aren't anything to joke about either, clearly having been trained to be vicious in combat. They use their large numbers to their advantage, choosing to just overwhelm our forces; we use our walls to fend them off since a majority of them are sword and axe wielders, the few archers they have are easy to deal with but that doesn't seem to help as much as we hope" Corrin wanted to ask more but the sound of a bell interrupted him; Kilma jumped up, his expression full of surprise. "Their early" he said.

"An alarm?" Corrin asked, Kilma nodded.

"Yes, we have it to alert us when the enemy is coming" Corrin stood making his way outside.

"I'll prepare my men, you set up your defenses" he told the chieftain; Flora said her farewells to her father before following Corrin.

* * *

The sound of the alarm had caught Silas' full attention, he looked into the distance for whatever was coming their way, the others however didn't look like they wanted to be there.

"Silas" Baxter called, the Knight turned to the soldier. "What is your take on all this?" he asked him.

"My take?" Silas repeated. "What do you mean?"

"The commander's return, isn't it far too suspicious?"

"I'm sorry but you're going to have to elaborate" the young Knight did not like where the conversation was going and tried to stall out. Baxter had always been a troublemaker and wasn't the best at following orders, and though Silas got along well enough with the man, the two always had very contrasting opinions on things especially when they involved Corrin.

"The last we ever saw of the commander was when he was cornered by Hoshidan forces" Silas narrowed his eyes, lowering his voice.

"Are you implying Lord Corrin is in league with Hoshido?" Felicia who was eavesdropping watched the soldier dangerously. Baxter shook his head.

"No, just that there is obviously more to his story than just 'Back from the dead'" he quoted. "Not only that, I don't like the idea of him playing with our lives"

"Playing with our lives is the last thing Lord Corrin would do" Silas tried to defend.

"Well it certainly feels like it, that man cares more about the enemy than his own people" Silas scowled.

"If he didn't care, would he have requested your release? You and the others should be grateful to even be alive; not only did you desert the battlefield you also abandoned a member of the royal family for death" crossing his arms Baxter looked bitter.

"I knew speaking with you was a mistake, you've always been his lapdog" Silas was angry he marched towards the man grabbing him by the collar; by now the two were causing a scene, everyone watching the commotion.

"Just how long do you plan to maintain that grudge?" Baxter pushed Silas away.

"You know full well I'm not the only one feeling this way" he motioned to the others. "We all hate how the Prince does things, he is a failure of a commander" he didn't get to finish however; without anybody even noticing, Felicia moved behind Baxter with a knife to his neck.

"I would watch your words" her voice was terrifyingly sinister, everyone had to question if this was even the same clumsy maid. "One more insult towards Lord Corrin and you will die" she faced the other soldiers, they flinched at her gaze. "The same goes for all of you"

"Felicia release him" Corrin ordered, he and Flora finally walking into view; Felicia quickly stepped away, Baxter joined rest of the platoon, nobody choosing to meet the Prince's eyes.

"You're anger is understandable" Corrin told them. "But right now there are far more important matters at hand" he pointed into the distance. "Coming our way is a foe you've never faced before, they are ruthless and will show you no mercy; so your orders are simple, kill every last one of them" the soldiers were bewildered, did they hear him right? He wanted them to kill?

"I'm sorry Lord Corrin but are you joking with us?" Fay questioned, Corrin held a stern look.

"Does it look like I'm joking?" even his voice was lost from it's usual kindness. "Your job is to protect the village, do not let a single enemy through" despite his hardened orders the soldiers still seemed unwilling to comply, they seemed sluggish and Corrin didn't know if it was because they were still exhausted from their travel or because of him, either way, he was going to get them to fight no matter the reason; there was a long silence between them.

"I'm done!" Baxter shouted. "I refuse to follow your orders; you have done nothing but play with our lives" he glared at Corrin. "Kill, not kill? This indecisiveness is going to get all of us killed!" walking away, others followed his lead.

"And yet you've followed me this far" Corrin said. "So where will you go? Back to the lives you used to have?" the soldiers stopped turning to meet Corrin's stare. "You will be branded as traitors, and only prove to everyone else that you are worthless"

"We are not worthless!" Baxter screamed. Corrin stared him down.

"Then prove it to me, prove it to everyone else, prove to the world that you are much more than that" Corrin faced the others, no longer holding back. "And maybe that was the factor that made me underestimate you; I thought that as new recruits; as soldiers everyone looked down on; you would sympathize with my ambition, my ideals to save everyone, to fight a war without bloodshed. But now I understand I was foolish and naive; I was selfish, caring only about my own consciousness that I did not see how it was affecting everyone else" his words struck deep and the soldiers weren't sure of what to make of it; for some their anger towards Corrin only grew, for others they felt better knowing their commander acknowledged his errors. Corrin continued. "But our predicament now is not about any of that; right now we are the line between survival and destruction for these people. If we do not stand our ground, then many people will die and we would be the ones who chose to run away. But if we stay and fight we can make a difference to these people, we can be their salvation" he paused letting his speech sink in. "So I ask you, all of you! What will you do?" the soldiers were silent; they knew Corrin was right, their anger towards him shouldn't blind them from their duty, to protect and serve the people of Nohr. And before they knew it, they were already preparing for battle.

* * *

The sound of metal clanking could be heard in the distance and the soft snow didn't help dampen the loud marching. Corrin squinted to get a better look; it was as he suspected, he could see purple shivering over them. He felt an empty coldness flow through his body almost like something was sucking the life out of him, it only grew stronger as they approached.

"Are you alright?" he heard Garon echo into his head.

"I'll be fine, but something is coming, something big" he whispered under his breath. There were less enemy Fallen than Corrin had thought there would be, approximately sixty warriors, all of them armed to the teeth. Standing in front of them however was someone Corrin did not expect; a fully armored knight that looked completely different from the rest, he looked menacing enough to cause anyone to think twice before approaching; the design of the armor looked familiar to him, but couldn't remember where he saw it. The knight halted, as did the other Fallen soldiers.

"Grave Walker!" he screamed, Corrin jolted at the name, he didn't know why but he had a feeling that name was intended for him. Narrowing his eyes Corrin drew his steel sword, he looked back at his men, they looked nervous and he couldn't blame them, he was too. The appearance of the armored knight certainly changed things, would he be a foe to fear? Corrin wasn't sure but the approaching battle would soon give him his answer.


	9. Battle on the Ice

**Let me know what you think!**

* * *

The Hoshidan's were finally back within their homeland; Kamui still unfamiliar with the geography of Hoshido was unsure of what part of Hoshido they have stepped into. The land before them was beautiful, brilliant green mountains that touched the sky, sparkling blue rivers that flowed with grace; having spent a good month in Nohrian territory, the wonderful landscape was a breath of fresh air; maybe she was getting used to the more pleasant scenery, but she honestly didn't want to leave Hoshido anymore. Looking back at her forces they were all worn out from traveling, resting for the day would be ideal.

"Why don't we set up camp? The men are all worn out" she told Hinoka, but the elder Princess didn't look happy, in fact she looked incredibly wary, her eyes constantly darting around the trees; Kamui frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"We can't stay here, we press forth" Hinoka told her pulling on the lead of her pegasus, the elder princess was in a panic and Kamui could only wonder why, she tried to reason with her sister.

"But the men are all exhausted surely we can let them rest, and besides, it's not like we're in enemy territory" Hinoka however shook her head.

"It's not that, it's something far more complicated than that" she muttered. Takumi noticing the commotion between the two approached them.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"We are in Akita territory" that was all Hinoka needed to say to cause Takumi to tense up, his expression darkened, Kamui noted that it was the same dirty look he used to give her.

"I see…." he mumbled. "I'll make sure the troops are up and running, we'll march out as soon as possible" Kamui watched her brother's retreating figure before facing Hinoka.

"I don't understand, what's wrong with this place?" Kamui asked.

"Nothing is wrong, rather it is the Lord of this land that is the problem" Kamui continued to stare at her sister wondering what she meant. "This land belongs to the Akita clan, former ninja's that served the royal family, but something happened between the clan head and our father that caused them to turn their backs on us" she explained. A cold wind brushed past as an ominous feeling washed over them, they were being watched.

"We did not turn our backs on you" a voice suddenly said, Kamui shuddered at the voice, it was cold and almost threatening, she never thought someone could speak with such malice "It was the royal family that betrayed us" as the person spoke, Hinoka and Kamui turned to the source, a woman stood before them accompanied by two samurai. Kamui found the woman intimidating, her gaze was empty, void of any emotion, it was a look she saw in many Hoshidan ninja's, but hers was particularly frightening.

"Ayami…" Hinoka hissed the name.

"Princess Hinoka" the woman greeted her eyes quickly switching to Kamui. "You know the agreement our families had, do you intend to break it just because your father is dead?" Hinoka narrowed her eyes not exactly happy with the woman's rude tone.

"No, we were just leaving" Hinoka muttered, but Kamui had other ideas.

"Hey wait a minute" she called for their attention. "I don't know what agreement our fathers made, but please, our soldiers are exhausted from traveling, let us rest for one night and we'll be on our way in the morning" Ayami remaining silent stared Kamui down, and for a moment Kamui thought the woman would consider it.

"No, none of you are welcome here, you either leave peacefully, or you will be escorted out by force" her response made Kamui heart drop, but she wasn't backing down, she step forward causing Ayami's samurai to draw their weapons. Seeing their liege being threatened Kaze and Jacob were quick to move to Kamui's defense, at this point the young Princess was worried that a fight would break out; luckily Ayami told her men to stand down, Kamui gestured at Kaze and Jacob to do the same, her two retainers stepped back, choosing to stand close by her side.

"Princess Kamui the last I saw you, you were only a baby, look at how much you have grown now; I assume the time in Nohr has treated you well?" Kamui narrowed her eyes not sure how to make of the woman's implications, but she decided to play it safe.

"It has, but my loyalties are with Hoshido now" however much to Kamui's surprise the woman disapproved.

"A pity, it would have been better if you'd remain in Nohr" she told her.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kamui questioned, taken back by the rejection, Kamui would have thought she'd proven her loyalty to Hoshido by now, but then again she shouldn't be surprised that there were still some people that still didn't trust her. Hinoka interrupted before either one could make a comment.

"You are stepping out of line Ayami" she yelled. "Need I remind you that you are speaking to a princess of Hoshido" the woman was not amused by the elder princess' outburst, in fact her expression twisted into hate.

"You stand in Akita territory Princess Hinoka" she spat. "Don't you dare come here sporting your authority, my clan has cut all ties to Hoshido, you are no Princess of ours" the woman's glare was enough to send a chill through Kamui's spine, she didn't know why but she was feeling a lot of the woman's hate directed at her. "Now, will you leave peacefully or do you have to be forced out?" Hinoka angrily complied with the woman's request.

"Kamui, let's go" she said with more force in her tone; Kamui bit her lip, with the way things were it would only cause more trouble than it was worth. Hastily, Hinoka, Kamui and her retainers left to rejoin the rest of the departing army.

Kamui was left wondering what had just happened, she didn't imagine that she would meet people with such hostility within Hoshidan territory, especially towards the royal family.

"What sort of disagreement did our father have that would warrant such a reaction" Kamui asked. Hinoka didn't say anything at first, still feeling very bitter about their encounter.

"Kamui whatever you do, avoid coming here. I don't know what would have happened had I not been present" the elder Princess said.

"I don't understand"

"The Lord of this land harbors a deep hatred for our mother" she answered quickly obviously trying to avoid speaking further on the matter.

"What! Why?" Kamui couldn't imagine anyone disliking her mother, she was so kind and understanding, and from what she's seen, beloved by everyone in Hoshido. Hinoka shook her head, her feet stomping on the ground as if her heavy footsteps would be able to send a message to the Akita clan. Calming herself, she sucked in the air before letting it all out in one heavy sigh.

"I don't know, Ryoma knows but chooses not to say anything. All I know is that a dispute between them was what caused the Akita clan to leave" she explained to Kamui. "A pity too" she couldn't help add.

"What do you mean?" Kamui asked, Kaze was the one who answered.

"The Akita clan was one of the most powerful ninja clans in Hoshido, their skill and strength were revered to be so amazing that none dared oppose them" he told his liege; Kamui raised a brow at this.

"They didn't seem that threatening" Kamui commented. Hinoka spoke with reassurance.

"Just take our word for it Kamui, it has been many years since they last held a blade but do not underestimate them; I've seen them in action, and not even the Saizo clan can do what they can do" Hinoka turned to Kaze looking apologetic. "No offence". Kaze shook his head.

"No need to apologies milady". Kamui still perplexed about the whole situation continued pressing for answers.

"You said that they once served the Royal Family, were you and the woman close?" she questioned. Hinoka let out a sigh.

"I guess I once considered Ayami a friend" she murmured, reminiscing the past, a faint smile brought upon her lips.

"Doesn't Lord Ryoma have a close relationship with her as well?" Kaze mentioned, Hinoka lost her smile and looked sternly at Kaze, silencing the ninja's slip of tongue. This piqued Kamui's curiosity.

"Close relationship? Were they really good friends?" Hinoka rubbed her temples, a headache forming at the bombardment of questions.

"I guess you're bound to find out sooner or later" she muttered. "Ayami used to be Ryoma's betrothed"

"Betrothed?" Kamui repeated, the way the word sounded, it was unusual, almost foreign, maybe because she never imagined marriage to be in the foreseeable future for any of her family, but then again she shouldn't be surprised, Ryoma was the crown prince of Hoshido, sooner or later he would have needed to marry and produce a heir.

"Yes, it was an arranged marriage but even then the two used to be quite smitten with each other" now this confused Kamui.

"But then why did she feel so hostile, you would think she would be a little sympathetic to our cause" though Kamui was quite sure she knew the answer to her question; the situation was quite like with her Nohrian siblings, the anger, the hostility, the sadness they held for her, for her betrayal. Hinoka's answer was pretty much how she expected it to be.

"I'm afraid time changes people, now she bares the same grudge as her father" she told her. "But that doesn't matter, as long as we leave them alone, they will do the same to us" Kamui looked back; she wasn't sure if she would accept that, whatever grudge they had for her mother had to be something that could be settled if they just talked it out.

* * *

It was chaos, Corrin and his forces were being pushed back against the walls, the enemy numbers were overwhelming to the point that the soldiers were forced to maintain a defensive formation, never getting the chance to strike back; with their shields held high, the enemy struck with great force, causing the soldiers to flinch and stumble with each blow. Corrin was at the front, being the only one who was able to fight back, he relieved the pressure from his soldiers.

Very quickly Corrin signaled the Ice Tribe, their mages supporting them with powerful spells from high above their wall, some even seeing the Nohrian soldiers bravery jumped into the fray to assist them. The Fallen fought like wild beasts, albeit trained beasts; with as much ferocity they showed, they backed with ample precision and skill.

Silas was glad that he didn't have his horse, with the way these monsters were attacking he was certain his steed would have run off in panic; the purple hue the enemy was emitting was both suffocating and distracting hindering Silas' combat ability. He was barely able to hold off three of the Fallen soldiers, one even punctured his armor; quickly checking, Silas was stunned by how close to death he was, their rusted weapons penetrated both the outer plating and the chainmail he wore underneath, his skin luckily was left untouched.

A bombardment of fireballs rained onto the Fallen incinerating their bodies, the stench of ash filled the soldiers nostrils while enemy bodies dropped continuously. What was most terrifying about the scene was the lack of screaming, the Fallen allowed the flames to scorch their armor and burn their skin, their faces melted and deformed without even a single reaction.

Realizing the enemy forces were slowly weakening Silas rushed to the front to assist his comrades. He was surprised by Corrin's strategy; by positioning themselves as compact as possible the soldiers were able to use each other as support to maintain a solid stance against the enemy, and as Corrin had predicted, the enemy had no formation, choosing only to pile on top of them grouping together in one large pile, giving way for easy picking for magic; the Ice Tribe mages rained fire and ice onto the enemy thinning their horde allowing the Nohrian soldiers and Ice Tribe warriors to push back; once again, exactly how Corrin planned.

They advanced, but with each step the soldiers found it became increasingly more difficult to fight. Felicia and Flora stuck together in the back line using their healing staffs to maintain the soldiers strength, however even they could feel the heat of the battle, the bloodlust was suffocating. The twins not physically in the battle was able to see what the Nohrian soldiers could not, and it was horrifying; the Fallen having their flimsy weapons break resorted to clawing with their hands, their finger nails cracking against steel while blood splurged everywhere; yet it didn't slow the enemy down, with every blade plunged into them it would enrage them further.

The twins tried to spot Corrin among the chaos but was unsuccessful, they were only able to spot some of their fellow Ice Tribe warriors fight alongside the Nohrian soldiers. Flora spotting an abandoned bow and arrow was quick to grab it, though she was unfamiliar with the weapon she found it surprisingly easy to handle; pulling the bow string, she aimed at a Fallen soldier harassing one of the Ice Tribe warriors; releasing the string Flora launched the arrow hitting the Fallen straight in the head killing him. Flora was quite surprised not expecting to hit her target but was equally glad that she was able to help her fellow tribesman. Grabbing another arrow she shot it at an axe wielder ready to cleave away at a Nohrian soldier, the Fallen tumbled to the ground dead with an arrow through the head. Flora was incredibly surprised, the way the bow handled in her hands, it was almost like she had wielded it for years; hands tightening and loosening she lowered the bow eyes now scanning the front.

The enemy threw Baxter onto the ground, surrounded, four Fallen soldiers loomed over him ready to deliver the final blow; everyone else was too occupied to help and he realized that this was the end for him; shutting his eyes he waited for his imminent death. But it never came; cracking open his eyes he saw Corrin standing over him, with all four enemy soldiers decapitated.

"You alright?" Corrin asked. Baxter dumbfounded by his Commanders brutality nodded. "Then get up, we're not done yet" extending out his hand Corrin pulled Baxter up. "Be sure to go straight for lethal kills, all other attacks will be shrugged off" without another word Corrin ran off back into the horde of enemies. Everyone else found it odd that the enemy was laying off their attack, following the enemies movements, they were filled with both awe and horror, the Fallen enemies had gathered around their commander, attracted to his blood; however Corrin was holding his own despite the odds; he fought with great aggression cleaving away enemy limbs before piercing their hearts and decapitating their heads; Corrin moved fast and it was like his blade attacked twice with each strike; for those who watched closely they could see the apparition of a white figure fight alongside the commander, but only for a moment.

His fight went on for a while but very soon Corrin was able to strike down the last remaining Fallen soldier. Looking over at the armored knight Corrin found him in the exact same spot having not moved a muscle, the knight continued to watch from a distance. Corrin didn't know how to react but met the knight's gaze. At that moment the knight roared, it sounded distorted, inhuman, but something about it was familiar to Corrin, almost like he's heard it somewhere before. The snow kicked up, blinding everyone's vision; Corrin felt a chill run down his spine, something big was coming, moving back towards his troops, Corrin prepared for what was to come.

The snow dissipated abruptly revealing what was hidden beneath.

"What in god's name!" Kilma gasped. Charging at them was an army of Fallen, numbers going up into the hundreds, a force far larger than anything they have faced.

"Chief!" One of the dark mages asked. "What do we do now?"

"Maintain a defensive line" Kilma yelled before turning to one of the mages next to him. "Take our people into the inner sanctum and barricade the door" he told him, the man nodded rushing down the wall dragging a few others to help him. Kilma spotted his two daughters, he was worried, frightened for them; he knew they had a duty to uphold but he truly wished the two of them would abandon the battlefield and retreat to safety. He observed the soldiers below, they were trembling with fear; they were clearly outnumbered, more so than before, and this time no strategy would be able to save them.

The armored knight led the charge, his army advancing like stampeding beasts; Corrin needed a clear plan of action, but with the numbers he was dealing with, he needed time, time he didn't have. He was running out of options, the only thing he could think of was using himself as bait while allowing the others to make their escape; but even then they could only make it so far before the Fallen would catch up to them.

"We're out of options Corrin" Garon said, Corrin didn't respond, he wasn't about to give up, he would make sure to save as many people as he could. He touched the Fire emblem, twisting the ring on his finger, magic energy jolted the air, causing it to simmer and warp.

"Use my power" a woman's voice echoed, the sound was faint, brushing over his ear, he recognized it, it was the Ice Dragon.

"I might have the solution to our problem" he told Garon, the Fire Emblem glowed and once again Corrin was looking at the magic trails surrounding him. One in particular called out to him.

"Reach forth and grasp onto my strength" the Ice Dragon echoed; Corrin did as he was told, his ring hand reaching out to an ice blue string, letting it wrap around his hand, powerful cold magic rushed through his body.

"Fall back!" Corrin screamed running towards his soldiers, they didn't need to be told twice as they all rushed back towards the village gates.

The sky darkened, an ominous snow filled the air. Nobody knew what was happening but could only pray it would be merciful. And then it happened, hundreds and hundreds of icicles rained down upon the Fallen army, impaling many with their sharpened tips.

"By the Gods…." Kilma gasped out, this was magic far beyond his imagination, in fact he wasn't even sure if this was magic, could this have been the power of a dragon vein? No, even this goes beyond that.

"The Great Dragon is watching over us" the Chieftain heard one of his mages cry out. Was it? Could it really be the power of the Ice Dragon? Kilma wanted to believe but was skeptical; for thousands of years worshiping the great Dragon nothing like this has ever happened. Locking eyes onto Corrin, there was powerful magic emanating from the boy, it could very well have been the young prince that called forth such power.

"Chief Kilma!" he heard Corrin scream. Looking down he saw the Prince pointing at the enemy army. "Create a snow storm around the enemy!" Kilma acknowledged the order proceeding to command five other mages to his lead, channeling magic they whipped up the snow around the Fallen encasing them within. Corrin with renewed confidence charged into the storm.

"Their numbers have thinned! Move forth and circle around the storm, surround the enemy!" he screamed. The Nohrian soldiers were reluctant but upon seeing Silas along with other Ice Tribe warriors charge with their commander they were quick to follow suit not wanting to be shown up.

Used to fighting blind, Corrin moved on instinct, reacting to any of movement, sound or smell that graced his senses; dragging the enemy to the eye of the storm, he was able to maintain the enemies focus on himself. Basing on the enemy footsteps he guessed there were approximately fifty Fallen remaining; however what worried him was the Armored Knight, he wasn't among the casualties of the Icicle storm nor has he taken advantage of the snow storm to strike him down, it was as if he was waiting for something.

All of a sudden, silence, the enemy stopped attacking, the snow faded revealing everything, the enemy had retracted their weapons and was stepping away.

"Grave Walker!" he heard, the Armored Knight stood behind him sword in hand; unlike all the warriors he's faced before, Corrin knew this foe would be powerful; purple hue licked the surface of the plating and a bloody red glow leaked through the cracks of his armor; he carried an equally deadly greatsword, its edge serrated, each teeth sharp enough to slice through metal. The Knight advanced, with each step melting away snow; Corrin quickly raised his sword but shuddered as the Knight's sword struck with incredible force, he found that he was unable to push back, the Knight's strength was overwhelming. From the corner of his eye he saw the allied forces surround the remnants of Fallen; they needed to act fast, he wasn't sure if he could handle this monstrous foe alone.

"Attack!" he screamed; the soldiers moved in, their swords and spears stabbing into the flesh of the Fallen, the enemy didn't fight back, letting steel and iron sink into them while they all dropped dead, the soldiers and warriors closed in steadily.

Corrin allowed the Armored Knight to continue his onslaught, each strike becoming stronger and stronger; gritting his teeth Corrin timed the Knight's attack jumping back when he attempted to attack again. Choosing to keep a distance away Corrin observed the Knight's movements, he was relentless, his sword smashing onto the ground, snow splashing into the sky. Rolling to the side Corrin was just able to avoid being cleaved in two; nobody had chosen to interfere, or rather nobody was brave enough to get close; the Knight was overbearing, it was like fighting against an impenetrable fortress, there were no openings to his defenses.

Watching worriedly was Flora, the maid was certain that if the fight against the monstrous Knight lasted any longer her liege was going to die and the rest of them with him; coiling her fingers around her bow she scanned the area, the enemy had all been slain with only the Knight remaining; they had him surrounded but it was still not looking good. Flora drew an arrow pointing it at the Knight, she waited for her opening, the knight's movements glazed past her eyes, she held her breath and released, her arrow soared hitting the Knight in the eye. Stunned, the Knight stumbled back allowing Corrin to strike, he thrusted his blade into the warriors neck. Corrin stepped away leaving his sword stuck in the Knight; he wasn't exactly sure what would happen next, the Knight didn't seem to be dead, yet he had a shaking feeling the Knight never was to begin with. The Knight stood up straight pulling Corrin's sword out in the process; he released an earth shattering roar, everyone covered their ears feeling great discomfort at the sound, and before they could get their bearings again the Knight launched his attack, smashing both his and Corrin's sword at the Prince, they wounded him but didn't do enough to consider lethal; Corrin felt immense pain, two gashes on his arm. Pulling out a dagger Corrin prepared for the Knight's next assault. But something unexpected happened, the Knight simply warped away leaving nothing in his tracks.

It was odd to consider the battle to be over, it was so abrupt and it took everyone a moment to digest what had just happened; they had essentially all just escaped death. Everyone dropped their weapons crying out for joy, they survived the onslaught. Both Flora and Felicia rushed to Corrin's side; Felicia quickly pulled out her healing staff to close Corrin's wound.

"That Knight…." Garon mumbled, Corrin nodded.

"Yeah, he was a monster" looking at his hands Corrin realized they were shaking, clenching them into fists he grit his teeth; he realized something, all that time in the caves he was fighting simple foot soldiers, fodder to be slaughtered; the elites of the Fallen army were on a whole different level, he would even wager that they were stronger than Xander. This was a troubling revelation, he needed to get much stronger, otherwise there would be no hope in defeating the corruption.

"Lord Corrin, we should head back" Flora suggested; Corrin nodded. Felicia had already rounded up the forces, leading them back to the village. Corrin along with Flora lagged behind the rest, choosing to stare and observe at the remnants of the battlefield, there were bodies, all of them Fallen; but despite them defeating the enemy, it certainly didn't feel like a victory, this battle was a powerful blow to their mentality, Corrin could feel the fear of his men, and he understood one thing from this experience, none of them were prepared for the upcoming battles.

"Thank you by the way" he suddenly said. Flora was confused by the gesture, which Corrin noticed. "The arrow, it really saved me back there".

"Oh!" Flora was quick to wave off the praise. "It was nothing, like you said Lord Corrin, I will be watching your back" Corrin chuckled.

"Of course" he then glanced down at her hands, they were trembling. "Was that your first time using a bow?" Flora looked almost ashamed, which Corrin found quite odd.

"It was…" she muttered.

"In that case, I'm impressed" Flora shook her head.

"No, I got lucky, but I'm glad it was able to protect you" Corrin placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't sell yourself short Flora. You have many strengths that I count on. Remember that" Flora let his words sink in, great joy building up.

"Understood!" while Flora was smiling to herself very shyly Corrin was having his own concerns; he didn't feel at first but now, now his soul felt heavy, like something was weighing on his shoulders; Corrin looked to his ring, it wasn't reacting, he hoped this feeling was only temporary.

* * *

Everyone was currently being tended by healers. Corrin was back within Kilma's study sipping on tea.

"You have my gratitude Lord Corrin" the Chieftain said breaking the silence. "I don't think we would have survived had you not been here"

"I can't take all the credit chieftain, we wouldn't have survived without the support of your warriors, you and your people really saved us there" Corrin replied taking sips in between, the warm liquid calmed his nerves and allowed him to take his mind off certain things.

"You sell yourself short Lord Corrin, I speak for all of my people when I say you have done a great service for us; should it be within our power the Ice Tribe will be happy to offer you our service" Corrin didn't expect the chieftain to make such an offer, but it certainly made things easier for him.

"I will certainly keep your offer in mind chieftain" Corrin spoke with sincerity and was genuinely grateful but now he could only wonder if bringing them into this war was the right thing to do. His eyes wandered down to the Fire Emblem, it was trembling, a thought popped into his mind, a connection that he should have realized ever since he heard the Ice Dragon's voice. "By the way Chief Kilma, this village worships the Ice Dragon correct?" he questioned, Kilma nodded. "Do you by any chance have a place of worship?" Kilma crossed his arms.

"We do, but why do you ask?"

"I'm sure you saw the magic that aided us against the enemy. I think it is connected to the Ice Dragon" Corrin explained.

"Yes that certainly was unexpected, however I suspect you had something to do with it"

"With me?" Corrin laughed at the accusation. "I assure you I am unable to cast such a powerful spell, in fact I am still learning the basics" Kilma shook his head clearly seeing through Corrin's farce.

"Do not lie Lord Corrin, a highly trained mage can tell when such a powerful spell is being cast and who the caster is" he told him. Corrin could only chuckle before sighing.

"I see… then please let me see this place of worship and I'm sure all your questions will be answered" Kilma eyed him not sensing any lies from the boy.

"Very well" standing up he gestured to the door "This way then".

* * *

It was a small building located in the center of the village, compared to the other buildings this place was much colder, in fact approaching it would give anybody an intense chill. Walking inside only made the cold worse, Corrin could hardly handle it. The inside was empty with only a shrine sitting in the back of the room, nothing too extravagant. Making his way deeper into the room Corrin glanced back at Kilma, the Chieftain stood a ways back by the entrance observing his every move. Turning his attention back to the shrine Corrin noticed the small golden statue of a woman surrounded by dimly lit candles; reaching out to touch the figure the Fire Emblem started humming and before anyone could react, light engulfed both Corrin and Kilma. A woman stood before them; she was quite beautiful with a mysterious flare surrounding her, long white hair gleamed gently in the dim lit room, Corrin felt at ease bathing under the soft glow, but very much like the other First Dragons she also emanated power and authority.

"So we finally meet, son of the Silent Dragon" she said.

"You know of me?" Corrin asked.

"Yes, I have been contacted by my counterpart from the other world; she has told me everything" Corrin didn't seem to completely understand but went along with it regardless.

"So it was you who spoke to me" he said, the woman nodded.

"Indeed it was, I am however surprised, you managed to control the output of the spell flawlessly" Corrin didn't say anything, even he was surprised that things turned out so well.

"Are you truly the Great One?" They heard Kilma speak, his voice trembling with disbelief; Corrin couldn't blame him, back then even he never believed he would be able to meet the First Dragon's in the flesh, yet they graced them with their presence; it certainly was something they would never forget.

"Greetings" the Ice Dragon approached the Chieftain. "I am the Dragon of Ice, one of the twelve Ancient Dragons, it is a pleasure to meet a child of the ice" Kilma was speechless, but at the same time he had no reason to not believe the woman, her presence, it was enchanting almost hypnotizing; he got on his knees bowing.

"To be in the presence of the Great one is truly an honor" he said. The Ice Dragon giggled into her sleeve.

"No need for such formalities child, the honor is mine, to see such remarkable people you all have become, it brings me great joy to witness your growth" to hear such praise from the Dragon brought Kilma great pride, for all that has happened he almost felt unworthy. "But sadly my business is not with you" the woman turned back to Corrin. "It is with the son of the Silent Dragon" Kilma looked between Corrin and the Ice Dragon, he backed away choosing not to comment, knowing that any questions he had would be answered by their conversation. The Ice Dragon spoke first.

"I am sure the other Silent Dragon has left you with many questions" Corrin shrugged his shoulders.

"Not as many as you would think" he said, raising his hand he showed the dragon the ring. "But tell me more about the Fire Emblem, what sort of power does it give me?" smiling mischievously the woman grasped onto Corrin's hand, her touch was icy cold and Corrin wasn't sure if it was from her being a spirit or if she was just naturally chilling, he was going to assume it was a bit of both. The Ice Dragon traced her finger over the ring.

"The Fire Emblem contains the power of all twelve Ancient Dragons, once you have learnt to control it you will be able to create and manipulate reality at your leisure, you will become the incarnation of our power" Corrin lowered his eyes, choosing to stare cautiously at the etchings on his ring.

"So I will be able to freely use magic on the same scale as the one I casted back then?" the Ice Dragon nodded; this changed a lot of things, he needed to learn how to use this power fast, the advantages would be limitless, it would certainly tip the scales in their favour.

"However" the Ice Dragon warned. "Be wary, as powerful our magic is, it alone is not enough, as the Silent Dragon said, only when you complete the Fire Emblem will you be able to utilize it to defeat the corruption". Corrin nodded; yes the mystery that he had no answer to, but something the Ice Dragon might have.

"Ice Dragon, I still do not understand what it means to complete the Fire Emblem" he asked.

"I am afraid even I cannot answer that, just know that once you do you will be able to vanquish the corruption" Corrin face faulted, her answer wasn't anything he didn't know already; he supposed he would just have to do as his father says, let the Fire Emblem guide him. He then looked at the woman oddly. "By the way I thought the First Dragons have left the mortal realm, how are you here?" the woman stepped back watching both Corrin and Kilma.

"We First Dragons are capable of traveling between worlds this includes the mortal and spirit world; due to the nature of the problem we have deemed it necessary to come assist your journey"

"Assist? In what way?" Corrin asked. "Will you fight with us?" the Ice Dragon giggled shaking her head.

"I'm afraid not, as much as I want to, I am incapable of fighting in my state, I will however be assisting from the shadows" the obscure words of a Dragon, Corrin should have expected this, maybe it was because in the back of his mind he hoped he would get a straight answer that he asked such a question. "However" she spoke carefully, her expression darkening. "Your soul has become heavy hasn't it" Corrin was surprised.

"How did you know?" the Ice Dragon looked at him with sorrow.

"What you are feeling is the weight of the corruption" her answer caused Corrin's heart to race.

"Are you saying it has started to possess me?"

"No. As you know when you kill a Fallen the darkness within them seeks another host; the Fire Emblem has the power to absorb that darkness. That weight you are feeling is that stored darkness" Corrin swallowed, this new information was concerning, he could sort of understand why it would want to absorb the corruption but at the same time he didn't like the idea of having the darkness so close. Corrin faced Kilma who was silent the whole time.

"What do you make of all this?" he asked him. Kilma stroked his chin deep in thought, he was still unsure of many things that was spoken between them but he had little reason to doubt them; for now he decided to maintain an open mind and tackle the problem at hand.

"What you've said is troubling" he started saying. "Were those enemy soldiers also of the so called corruption?" the Ice Dragon nodded.

"Indeed and Corrin here has been entrusted by the First Dragons to stop this evil" she told him, Corrin noticed a hint of disgust in her voice; it was directed at herself, was she ashamed of this whole predicament? It was possible, he remembered the anguish that the First Dragons had, it was sad.

"Chieftain Kilma, join me" he exclaimed. Corrin needed to be convincing, if not he highly doubt the Chieftain would agree to help, the battle ahead would be dangerous which meant putting his tribesmen in dangers beyond normal means.

"Okay" Kilma replied, Corrin paused.

"Wait…. Seriously?" The Prince spoke unbelievably.

"Yes, is something the matter" Kilma questioned a little glad that he was able to make the young Prince stutter.

"Well no, it's just I had this long speech ready to convince you to join our cause, I wasn't ready for you to agree so easily" Kilma laughed.

"You underestimate me Lord Corrin, I am much more perceptive than you are led to believe. I know it has always been your intent to recruit us" embarrassed Corrin scratched his cheek forming a cheeky grin.

"Then I must apologies, I overestimated my own abilities…."

"Do not apologies, I was only able to see through your guise because I've had experience, and even then, I was only just barely able to grasp onto your intent" Corrin wasn't sure but it sounded like the Chieftain was praising him. "Either way, we of the Ice Tribe will be honored to follow you into battle" he extended out his hand, smiling Corrin reached out and shook it, solidifying their alliance.

"But why agree so easily?" Corrin couldn't help ask.

"This is no more your battle than it is ours. Those corrupted soldiers attacked my people, I refuse to sit idly and let them do as they please. And besides" Kilma faced the Ice Dragon. "You have the blessing of the Great One that only strengthens my resolve to assist you" Corrin smiled.

"Thank you, Chief Kilma" crossing his arms Corrin now moved onto more pressing matters. "Speaking of which, I do not think you and your people should stay here. It is not safe" Kilma looked on grimly.

"I understand what you mean, but my people have nowhere else to go. This has and always will be our home" he told the Prince.

"Then a temporary sanctuary, until we have stopped the corruption" Kilma raised a brow.

"Do you have a place in mind?" Corrin smirked.

"The Northern Fortress, my former home, it's an abandoned fortress and is big enough to house an entire city let alone a village of people" Kilma deep in thought could see Corrin's intent; a base of operations, a place where they can rejuvenate and prepare for the oncoming war. Normally Kilma would disagree choosing to remain but at times like these, he needed to let go of old traditions and relocate. He nodded.

"Very well; but we'll need a guide, I do not know the way" Corrin smiled.

"I have someone who can guide you"

"Then we are at an agreement" Kilma announced, both nodding. Their attention turned to the Ice Dragon at the sound of her laughing.

"To think I would see the day where a child of Ice and a child of Silent would work hand in hand; I'm glad"

"What will you do now?" Corrin asked.

"As I said I will aid you from the shadows, for me to do that I must first go to _that_ place" she smiled walking towards the door. "The world is a small place, I'm sure our paths will cross again" with that the Ice Dragon was gone, vanishing with a gust of cold wind.

* * *

Looking over the village, Corrin sat collecting his thoughts; the recent battle was an eye opener, the enemy was more terrifying than he had imagined, had he not used the power of the Fire Emblem the Nohrian and Ice Tribe soldiers would have been slaughtered by their numbers; they got lucky that was the defining factor of the battle, a factor Corrin would never let happen again. Casualties were kept to a minimum, with many injured but no deaths. Garon appeared next to him.

"I didn't think Kilma would join you so easily; he was always a stubborn one, always sticking to traditions" Corrin looked at him unusually.

"I didn't know you two were close" Garon shrugged his shoulders.

"We were friends once upon a time, but we drifted apart when I became King and you know the rest" Garon's words intrigued him, and Corrin realized there was still much he didn't know about the late King.

"You know, I don't know much about your past; what is your story?" Garon chuckled to himself.

"It's a long story, maybe I'll tell it to you another time" Corrin shrugged his shoulders.

"Fair enough" the two returned to observing the activities of the villagers; Kilma had told his people the plan for relocation, many were reluctant but understood the need for it; they were now preparing their resources for the long journey. Corrin had ordered his soldiers to assist the villagers and much to his relief they complied instantly, though he was certain they would be asking questions soon.

"What is your plan?" Garon asked. Corrin gave him an immediate answer.

"We need to build an army; one fully prepared to face the horrors of the darkness" Garon looked thoughtful. He certainly spoke the truth and it was a step in the right direction but there many things that needed to be considered.

"The Nohrian army alone won't be able to withstand their might" he told Corrin, lucky for Garon, Corrin had already thought ahead.

"I know, which is why it is imperative that we recruit other factions to our cause, not just to defeat the false King but to fight the corruption as well" he faced Garon. "We don't have much time and I don't know when we will see another attack from the corruption, not to mention where they will strike"

"Then we'll need a symbol, someone people will want to rally behind" Corrin noticed the glint in the King's eyes, he was onto something.

"Who do you have in mind?"

"My former retainer, Merak" Corrin widened his eyes, he recognized the name, in fact it would be rare to find anyone in Nohr to not recognize it. Merak was King Garon's first retainer and would also be considered his closest friend; the man was called the Might of Nohr, one of if not the most skilled warrior in Nohr's history, as the Grand General of the Nohrian army he held full authority over it's troops including Nohrian nobles and Royalty. Merak was looked up as the kingdoms beacon of victory, a symbol to rally behind; but sadly that all changed when he was exiled and never to be seen again. But if they could recruit him, he could easily rally the other factions.

"You know where he is?" Corrin asked.

"I do, he lives in the south, far out in the countryside" while Garon was telling him this, Corrin was already planning his next course of action.

"Well…." the Prince muttered. "I know what my next objective is".

* * *

Making his way down, Corrin felt determined, with a new fresh set of goals to accomplish he was very eager to set out as soon as possible.

"Silas, how are the preparations?" Corrin asked making his presence known. Silas was helping some villagers load supplies onto a wagon before facing his commander.

"Almost complete, but will it be okay to send them to the Northern Fortress?" he asked.

"It's the only place that is isolated from all watchful eyes, even from the King himself. It will serve as a safe place for the Ice Tribe" Silas was still doubtful.

"I find it hard to believe that King Garon would have a place in Nohr where he didn't have eyes watching, I mean when you were living in the Fortress didn't the King keep tabs on you?" Corrin shrugged while lazily leaning against the wagon.

"My siblings were his eyes, granted they were biased eyes, they were still his eyes. Now that I have left the fortress and am able to fight alongside my siblings, the fortress has basically been abandoned" stepping away he peered back at Flora and Felicia who were approaching them, both were carrying large packs.

"Milord, what is our next course of action?" Flora asked.

"Flora, Felicia, you along with the rest of the troops will lead the Ice Tribe to the Northern Fortress, help them settle in. I alone will go back to the capital and deliver my report" Corrin ordered, this received different reactions from the three; Silas merely nodded and bowed, Flora disapproved and Felicia was hysterical.

"What! But that will leave you unprotected" Felicia cried out. Corrin laughed out.

"I'm not that helpless, I'm sure my performance on the battlefield has proven that" Felicia opened and closed her mouth hesitating on her words.

"But…" she finally mumbled out. Luckily Flora interjected.

"If I may interrupt Milord. But I agree with Felicia, I am uncomfortable with the idea of you traveling alone" she said. "I can lead the troop to the Northern Fortress myself, please let Felicia accompany you to the capital" sighing and scratching the back of his head, Corrin caved, in all honesty he wanted to travel alone because he believed it would be safer that way, but if this would put his retainers mind at ease, he's willing to make the proper accommodations.

"Very well, we will meet you at the fortress as soon as we can" he told her; Flora smiled bowing.

A few hours went by and the Nohrian troops escorted the Ice Tribe to the Northern Fortress with Flora leading the way; Corrin and Felicia were all that remained of the empty village. Felicia looked around with deep sadness, it was somber to see her home so empty, she allowed this image to be etched into her mind, she would do everything she could to prevent this emptiness. Corrin placed a hand on her shoulder, it was enough to reassure her making Felicia smile a bit. And very soon they made haste for Windmire.


	10. Questions Answered

**A shorter chapter this time. As you read this chapter you might notice a small detail about the Wolfskin is different, let's just say the role the Wolfskin play will be different when compared to canon.**

* * *

All eyes were on him as he gave his report; Corrin didn't care for the hushed insults made to him, they were simple noblemen and women who didn't understand the harsh reality of war, but on the other hand he understood why such words were spoken, these people were of noble birth, children who have been groomed to be perfect, never to get their hands dirty. Yet among their ramblings Corrin could sense their fear; from their stuttered words when he met their gaze, to their shudders when his own voice became threatening; for some odd reason Corrin found joy in their terror, he didn't know what could have warranted such feelings but it certainly frightened him.

"Is that the end of your report Corrin?" the King asked.

"Yes it is" Corrin replied. The King turned to Iago who stood in his spot next to the throne, surprisingly he hasn't uttered a single word, but he did keep a watchful eye on Corrin.

"What is your opinion of this?" he questioned his advisor.

"My scouts have reported back to me and it is as the Prince says; however my concern lies with the Ice Tribe" Iago spoke with his usual poisonous voice, he looked at Corrin. "What exactly are you planning to do with them?" Corrin could tell he was doing his best to intimidate him, but unlucky for Iago, Corrin already had a response to such a question.

"I have used their fear for the enemy to recruit them to my army" he said. "Of course, I do not know what or where this new threat comes from but needless to say I do not believe them to be a real threat, our real enemy is still Hoshido. As a commander of the Nohrian army it is my duty to ensure that my troops are prepared to face the enemy, this includes bolstering my army; I believe the Ice Tribe will be a valuable asset to our cause" as much as Iago wanted to retort to his statement he found that he couldn't, he didn't have any evidence to prove Corrin wrong.

"Then tell me Prince Corrin" he tried to push for more answers, anything that could expose the Prince's incompetence or treachery. "Where are you taking them? There have been no reports of them or your army residing in any of our barracks"

"I have them scouting the border, stationing them at the edge of Wolfskin territory" at the mention of the beastmen everyone gasped and murmured their surprise and confusion. Lucky for Corrin it wasn't exactly a lie, he had instructed Flora to lead the troops and her tribe in a roundabout away to lose the spies, first towards Wolfskin territory then towards the Northern Fortress.

"Wolfskin territory?" Iago questioned, he stifled a laugh. "What foolishness, surely you know that would be suicide for your men. The Wolfskin are hunters, they will tear them apart the moment they get close" Corrin rolled his eyes.

"Your fear for the Wolfskins is pitiful" Iago spluttered.

"What! How dare you!" Corrin interrupted.

"The Wolfskins dislike us and I believe that Hoshido will take advantage of this, we must be ready for any chance that they could rebel against us" Corrin had a glint of disdain in his eyes while staring at Iago. "Or are you suggesting that we let a part of our territory be undefended?" Iago was lost for words. The King decided to add his own input to the conversation.

"The Wolfskin have always been hostile towards humans what makes you think they will treat the Hoshidans any different?"

"Because I believe Princess Kamui has the ability to make them their ally" Iago snorted.

"Your traitorous twin? You have that much confidence in a wretch like her?" his insult made Corrin clench his fist with anger but it was subtle enough that nobody noticed. He managed to respond in a calm and serene manner.

"It is not confidence, but rather concern. I have seen what Princess Kamui's influence is capable of" he responded. "In just a month of joining the Hoshidan army she was able to convince and unite multiple clans to their cause, I have little doubt that she is capable of doing the same with the Wolfskins"

"You knew the danger she posed to us and yet you failed to eliminate her?" King Garon spoke harshly, he glared down at Corrin. The young Prince was not intimidated, he looked the King square in the eye.

"I have no words for my failure your Majesty, but it is as I have stated before, I will never fail you again, I assure you I will ensure victory for Nohr" the King leaned back resting his cheek on his fist.

"I suppose I did agree to such terms, and I repeat, failure will be punishable by death"

"I understand father" Corrin answered. Garon waved him away.

"Then you are dismissed, I will call for you when I have another assignment for you" Corrin nodded before bowing and making his way out the throne room. "I look forward to your future endeavours" King Garon suddenly called catching everyone's attention, Corrin halted in his steps turning his head slightly. "I am sure you will be able to provide me with much needed entertainment" all the Nobles in the room burst into chatter, Corrin however turned away choosing not to respond and walk out the room.

* * *

Corrin grit his teeth while clenching his fist, everything, the imposter knew everything, or rather it was Anankos who knew everything and he was challenging him, should he even continue to put on such a façade in front of the imposter? Either way, this changed nothing, he would continue with the plan, he only needed to be more careful from now on.

"Big Brother!" a blonde blur tackled him causing him to stumble back.

"Elise!" he cried out, he was surprised to see the young Princess, in fact he had thought all his siblings would be away. "What are you doing here? I thought you were on an assignment" Elise smiled widely tightening her hug around Corrin's waist.

"I completed it a few days ago" she hopped back grinning at him. "But enough of me how was your mission?" while he held back some details when speaking to the King he couldn't lie to Elise, but yet he wasn't sure what to say, should he tell her about the threat that loomed over the horizon? Or should he tell her of the near death experience that he and his forces almost faced.

"Surprisingly well" he said while making his way to the servant quarters, Elise following closely behind. "Fought an army of possessed people and took the Ice Tribe under my wing" he summarized. Elise wasn't sure if she should be horrified or happy; horrified at the thought of her brother fighting off an army, or happy that Corrin made it out alive.

"What!" She screamed, her voice echoing through the halls, she jumped in front of Corrin and crossed her arms. "Tell me everything!" Corrin chuckled walking past her.

"I will tell you at a later time" he told her.

"Not allowed-" Corrin silenced her by placing a finger over her lips.

"Like I said, I'll tell you later" he told her again. "The walls have ears" at that Elise understood, she nodded moving her hands in a zipping motion over her lips. Corrin smiled before continuing towards his destination.

"So where are you going now?" Elise asked tagging along.

"To see Lilith" was his curt reply. Elise raised a brow.

"Why?"

"Just have a few questions for her".

* * *

Corrin never would have thought sitting in a room could be so nerve wrecking. Looking over at Lilith who was busy preparing tea, he was now realizing how difficult it was to form the questions he had and it didn't help with Elise sitting restless next to him, it made things difficult for him.

"Lord Corrin, I heard from Felicia that your mission was successful. I am glad you made it back safe" Lilith said placing a cup of tea in front of both Corrin and Elise. "May I ask if there is a new assignment you have for me?" Corrin took a sip, the smoothness and taste of the tea didn't compare to Flora's but it was good regardless.

"I don't currently have anything for you" he told her.

"Oh" Lilith was surprised.

"The reason why I'm here now is because I have a few questions for you" Lilith looked frightened and Corrin noticed this, which only added to his suspicion.

"Please take a seat Lilith" Elise hopped up pulling and guiding Lilith down. Sitting across from Corrin, she glanced between the two.

"So…." She dragged out. "What did you want to talk to me about milord?" Corrin stared at Lilith, this time taking a really good look at the girl, he never realized this before but Lilith looked strangely similar to Kamui, maybe it was the eyes.

"I would first like to once again thank you for saving me, without you I wouldn't have been able to make it back" he said.

"Oh think nothing of it" she waved of his praise.

"Which brings me to the question, where did you learn such magic, from what I understand not even the most experienced mage knows what you know" just as he expected, Lilith was struggling to answer.

"Umm… well the magic I use is quite normal where I come from" she started saying.

"And where do you come from?" Corrin pressed. Lilith paused trying to find the right words.

"Far away…" she muttered. Her answer raised many brows.

"If I may. I think I know exactly where you're from" Corrin said leaning back while taking a sip of tea; Lilith was sweating, she was fidgeting. "I believe you come from Valla"

"Valla?" Elise was the one to exclaim out loud, she jumped up looking between Corrin and Lilith, she wasn't sure what Corrin was implying but it certainly surprised her. Corrin remained passive watching Lilith's facial movements. Suddenly the door slammed open.

"Lilith! We need to talk!" Selena yelled walking in with both Odin and Laslow in tow. She stopped when she spotted both Corrin and Elise.

"Oh…" backing away Selena started walking out the door. "We'll come back later" Corrin stopped them.

"No. This concerns you three as well, please sit" he told them. The three sat down awkwardly, neither one wanted to say anything, they all had a feeling something big was about to be discussed. Corrin turned back to Lilith. "As I was saying Lilith you come from Valla, in fact I think I know exactly who sent you" narrowing his eyes Corrin leaned forward. "Now tell me what is your relation to Anankos"

"Anankos?" Lilith spluttered she shook her head. "I'm sorry milord I don't know what you're implying" from the corner of his eye Corrin saw the other three shift.

"No need to lie Lilith. Your magic emits an aura far too similar to Anankos. Now I can only come to the conclusion you've been sent here to either observe me or kill me" his accusations caused Elise to move closer towards Corrin, she was feeling both protective and fearful.

"No!" Lilith yelled shooting up from her seat. "That's not it".

"Then tell me the truth. I know you come from Valla, you possess magic not of this world, magic I can only assume that comes from Dragons. The only Dragon who resides in Valla is Anankos, someone who intends to destroy this world, yet you say you aren't here on his orders? So tell me why are you here?" Lilith glanced around, she really wanted to just close her eyes and pray this was all just a dream.

"Alright…" she spoke slowly. "I'll tell you everything" she took a few deep breaths. "I was created by Anankos" Corrin and Elise were stunned.

"Say again?" Corrin spoke with disbelief. Lilith didn't wait for them to recover and continued talking.

"I was a pawn to his schemes, I followed his orders without questions hoping to one day be acknowledged by him; but that never happened" she said with great sadness, sitting down Lilith let out a pitiful laugh. "I've killed hundreds of Vallites, but still nothing. That was until I met the other Anankos" she looked up tears welling up. "He was so gentle and caring, he treated me as his own daughter. So I swore at his dying breath that I would watch over you and Kamui; I had intended to do so in secret, but things happened and I was forced to show my hand" Corrin was of course left speechless which didn't surprise Lilith, she sighed. "I understand if you do not believe me Lord Corrin and I understand if you wish to imprison me; I have no other excuse" Corrin silenced her before she continued.

"No, I won't be doing those things, however you have left me with much to think about" he told her.

"Wait doesn't that mean you and Corrin are siblings?" Elise asked. Corrin chuckled, of course that is what she would ask, always paying attention to the important details.

"Elise let us put that detail to the side for now" he told her, the young Princess looked like he just suggested something incredibly idiotic.

"What!" She screamed. "We can't do that! Lilith just revealed herself as your long lost sister, this is big news!"

"Calm yourself Elise, I understand what you are saying, but my concern lies with Anankos" Elise puffed up her cheeks.

"Stop being a stuck in the mud Corrin, you're acting like Leo" she said.

"Well I did spend a lot of time with him" Corrin answered laughing to himself. Elise playfully punched his arm. Corrin turned to the three retainers. "Then what is your relation in all this?" The trio looked among each other, Laslow and Odin gesturing towards Selena who glared at both of them, the two shrugged so Selena pointed at Laslow and then pointed to Corrin. The man sighed.

"We are not from this world" Laslow started to explain.

"Another world, as in an Outrealm?" Corrin reconfirmed, the three nodded.

"We are from the Kingdom of Ylisse. The three of us traveled to this world at the request of Anankos" Corrin could tell that the three were uncomfortable speaking to him about this but he maintained his silence waiting for Laslow to continue. "Our mission is to protect you and your sister"

"From my corrupted Father I assume" Corrin said, they nodded. "But why you three? What makes you three special?" they shifted again, even Lilith was feeling uneasy, doing her best to avoid Corrin's gaze.

"The three of us are simple mercenaries, Anankos chose us because we were the best at what we did" Selena answered.

"Try again" Corrin wasn't convinced at the least. Odin stood up startling both Corrin and Elise. He cleared his throat.

"We are legendary heroes from the distant land of Ylisse!" the Dark Mage spoke dramatically. "We defeated the Fell Dragon that threatened our home with death and destruction! Seeing our skills in slaying villainous evildoers, Anankos chose us; I Odin Dark! Laslow of the Azure Skies! And Selena…." he faced the girl, his tone void from the dramatics "We never decided on a title for you did we" Selena could only groan into her hands.

"That's amazing!" Elise shouted, she jumped in front of Odin. "Is that why you always go-" mimicking Odin's signature pose, she even attempted to mimic his voice. "My aching blood!" back to her usual bubbly self she continued. "Is it actually a casualty of your battle?" Odin seeing the stars of admiration in the Princess' eyes didn't have the heart to tell her it was all an act, lucky for him Corrin came to the rescue by interjecting.

"Very well then, your story checks out with me" his response prompted an angry response from Selena.

"Are you kidding me? You believe this oafs story over mine?" Odin looked offended by her insult while Corrin shrugged it off.

"What can I say, I have a thing for theatrics" he chuckled at Selena's displeased face. "In truth, I've already suspected that the three of you were not ordinary soldiers; so… being just competent mercenaries didn't cut it for me" Selena continued to look flabbergasted.

"So where does that leave us?" Laslow asked.

"That depends, what did your lieges instruct you to do?" Corrin asked them.

"And what makes you think we were ordered to do anything?" Selena questioned rudely still a little miffed. Corrin chuckled sipping on his tea.

"Well the fact that you three are here when I know my siblings are away on assignment is something to be suspicious of. So either you three abandoned them to come here, which I highly doubt. Or they sent you back here for something, which is the more likely option" Laslow smiled, slightly shaking his head.

"Nothing gets past you does it" he had to admit, the young Prince was quite perceptive; though now he had to wonder what else did the Prince suspect of them, he could only hope not much. "It is indeed true; the three us were sent here because your siblings were worried about you, they wanted us to support you" Laslow told him.

"Hmm, in that case why did you come here first, it seemed like you had some business with Lilith" Laslow struggled to find a reasonable answer. However it was Selena who spoke, slamming her hand on the table she got everyone's attention.

"Alright fine! Gods! I'll tell you everything!" she pointed at Lilith. "The three of us had a messy encounter with this girl, on our way here to this world she attacked us; though we have come to a truce, we came here first to keep tabs on her" Lilith stood up.

"But I told you, I am not a threat to Corrin" she argued,

"Hey!" Elise yelled at Selena puffing her cheeks with anger. "That's not nice; Lilith has always been kind and respectful to both Corrin and Kamui during their stay in the Northern Fortress. I believe her story and think she can be trusted!" Corrin peered at Lilith, she looked desperate, a look of someone who was desperate for someone to believe them; he certainly could relate.

"Enough" Corrin yelled silencing everyone. "I appreciate the three of you looking out for me, but I trust Lilith, I believe her story and her motive. Now I am not telling the three of you to stop being suspicious of her but please don't be so overbearing. I want her to be comfortable when she is under my service" Selena sighed scratching the back of her head.

"Very well" Lilith looked at Corrin incredibly grateful.

"Now onto other matters, since the three of you have been assigned to me, I'll take up on my siblings offer to take you in under my service" Corrin said

"Oh this is so exciting!" Elise was feeling giddy, jumping up and down with joy. Then out of nowhere the back door slammed open.

"Be Quite!" a voice shouted, Azura stomped into the room, bags under her old eyes. "Can't a person have any decent sleep here!" Corrin smiled devilishly.

"Ah perfect, I was wondering where you were" he said, of course Azura glared at the Prince.

"What do you want boy?" Corrin didn't answer immediately.

"Who is this big Brother?" Elise asked.

"This is Azura, the woman I told you I met in the other world" Corrin introduced. Elise walked towards the old woman.

"It's nice to meet you" she greeted cheerfully "I heard you were the one who helped my brother, I wanted to thank you" Azura still in a cranky mood responded rudely.

"And who are you girl" Elise frowned.

"Hey! I don't like that tone of yours" Azura almost looked amused, she raised a brow challenging the young Princess.

"Oh and what are you going to do about it girl?" rising up to the challenge Elise huffed and puffed up her chest.

"I may be small but I can throw a mean punch" they stared at each other, nobody else wanted to say anything choosing to watch the two stare each other off. Then Azura laughed.

"Oh I like this one" she said surprising Elise who blinked blankly.

"Glad you're awake Azura because you're coming with us" Corrin said

"To where Milord?" Lilith asked.

"To find a potential comrade" was all Corrin would say. "Azura, I'll have Felicia drop by later to help you prepare".

"I can look after myself boy" Corrin shrugged a shoulder.

"I know, I'm sending her anyways"

"Oh, oh! I'm coming too!" Elise announced jumping up and down. Corrin raised a brow, he had no problem with Elise coming along, in fact he was glad she was coming along.

"The journey is going to be long and tiresome, are you up for it Elise?" he told her, Elise wasn't backing down.

"Don't worry about me, I won't hold you back" Corrin grinned.

"Very well" he looked to the three royal retainers who were still sitting watching them. "Well come on we don't have all day" they jumped up from their seats rushing out the room. Corrin laughed to himself.

"What's so funny brother?" Elise asked. Corrin looked at her with a very wide smile.

"It's nothing" He never would have thought his father would go to such extents to look out for him, it was nice. With a last chuckle he beckoned Elise and Lilith to follow him.

"Come on sisters let's go"

"Sister?" Lilith repeated. Corrin nodded while Elise smiled grabbing Lilith's hand clasping it tightly.

"That's right!" Elise told her. "You're family now!"


	11. Rejection

_Bedridden for months, Mikoto could only wonder the sort of burden her children would bear; the twins were in their early teens, thirteen years of age to be exact, still children but taking on duties befitting of an adult. They were soldiers, training to become knights of Valla, and though they were young and inexperienced, the two showed much promise, so much so that the Captain of the royal guard had decided to take them on as apprentices. Mikoto was happy that they were being recognized but at the same time she wished they had followed a different path._

 _The door to her room opened, Queen Arete walked in with a strained smile on her face; Mikoto understood her sisters discomfort, the Queen had always disliked seeing her loved ones in pain and with Mikoto in the condition she was in now, it simply broke her heart._

" _Your Majesty" Mikoto greeted._

" _Enough with the formalities Mikoto, we're sisters, me becoming Queen won't change that" Arete told her, Mikoto merely giggled before launching into a coughing fit; Arete quickly poured her a glass of water and lightly patted her back. Calming, Mikoto gratefully accepted the glass before gulping it down._

" _What did the doctor say?" Arete asked taking a seat by the bed._

" _I should be better in a few weeks" her response made Arete frown._

" _Don't lie to me Mikoto; you said the same thing last week and you've only gotten worse. Please tell me what the doctor really said" Mikoto didn't say anything, she struggled to tug her lips into a smile; Arete could see fear and regret in her sister; something started tugging at her heart as she knew the answer to Mikoto's silence. Leaping forward Arete hugged her sister tightly yet gently, careful about her fragile figure yet fearful that if she loosened her grip, Mikoto would slip away._

" _They predict I have until the end of the year" Mikoto whispered; Arete's bottom lip trembled, her eyes tearing up, she couldn't believe this was happening, it was too soon, far too soon for her sister to be leaving.  
"There has to be something that can cure you" Arete spoke, her voice cracking. "A spell!" breaking away, Arete almost looked hopeful while she stared into Mikoto's tired eyes. "I can go ask our court mage, I'm sure he knows a spell that can cure you; or maybe a special remedy…." Mikoto hushed her sister's rambling, cracking a gentle smile and running her fingers through the strands of her sisters hair._

" _Promise me one thing Arete" she said, the Queen nodded. "Promise me that you will look after Corrin and Kamui" Arete swallowed a lump in her throat, pushing down her sorrow and wiping her tears, she put on a powerful demeanor; she needed to be strong._

" _I promise you; they will be safe in my care" Mikoto felt a weight lift off her shoulders, if there was anybody she could trust with her children it would be Arete. However now Mikoto felt disappointed, there was still so much she wanted to do, she wanted to witness her children grow up into remarkable people, she wanted to be there when they married their soul mates, what's more she wanted to get the chance to spoil her grandchildren._

 _The door suddenly opened, Corrin and Kamui walked in smiling; but upon seeing the Queen quickly composed themselves, bowing._

" _Your Majesty" they greeted. Arete waved them off with a chuckle._

" _We are alone, you do not need to be so formal with me" standing up she walked to the door. "But I best be going, I will give you three some space" the Queen left before anybody could say anything. The twins wondered why the Queen had left in such a hurry, but could only conclude that she may have important duties to attend to. Either way the two were quick to return their attention to their mother, quickly moving to her bedside with wide smiles ready to tell her about their day._

 _Queen Arete rushed to her bedroom chambers refusing to meet anybody in the eye; once she had arrived she locked the door and collapsed onto the floor releasing her anguish, her pain, her sorrow; she cried until no more tears would come._

* * *

Corrin replayed the dream in his mind over and over again. Maybe it was because he still felt a small connection to the woman named Mikoto that he felt uncomfortable hearing about her foreseen death, either way it was certainly unexpected; he had envisioned these dreams to be more pleasant, but it would seem that he needed to be prepared for the worst, he could only predict despair onwards from now. Now it begged the question, the Queen; she was nothing like how Azura had described her to be; or could this Queen Arete be the person she was before being succumbed to the corruption, he needed to investigate further, if this woman was to be his enemy he needed to learn everything about her.

"You seem engrossed in your thoughts" Garon said pulling Corrin back into reality.

"It's nothing" Corrin replied while getting dressed.

* * *

Through thick forests and moldy swamps, Corrin and his group traveled far out south, it was an eight day journey to their destination, a small mining town called Fielton; from what Corrin understood, the town held little importance to the Kingdom, possessing such a small mine that the amount of minerals it was able to produce was so insignificant that it was generally forgotten by the masses. Rain started to fall, followed by thunderstorms; the horses jumped with fright but were instantly calmed by Lilith's soothing touch. Corrin looked back at the group, Selena, Odin, Laslow and himself were on horseback; Lilith was driving a wagon that carried Azura, Felicia, Elise and her retainers, Arthur and Effie. Narrowing his eyes, Corrin spotted glimmers of light in the distance; he motioned to it allowing the others to spot it as well. The horses galloped, their hooves splashing in puddles soaking the riders boots; the rain came down harder and soon it became difficult to see what was in front; they used the distant light to guide their path.

Upon arriving they were met with large wooden gates; Corrin dismounted to knock, with five loud bangs a small window by the gate slid open.

"Who goes there?" an old man questioned.

"We are travelers who seek shelter from the storm, could you let us in?" Corrin asked; the old man looked closer at Corrin and his group.

"How many of you are there?" he asked.

"Ten of us" the old man started counting his fingers.

"That will be two hundred gold" Corrin was taken back, never before has he heard of an entry fee into a town.

"Two hundred gold? That is absurd, why is there an entry fee in the first place?" Corrin demanded.

"I don't make the rules, the Master does" the old man replied. "You either pay the fee or you're going to have to look for another town to settle" Corrin was peeved but pulled out a pouch. Dropping the gold pieces into the old man's hand; the small window slid closed and the group could hear the sound of locks unlocking followed by the doors slowly swinging open. Corrin quickly mounted his horse leading them into town.

With their horses tied down and their wagon secured, the group made their way into an inn; the place was empty, with only a few people sitting around tables, all of them looked miserable. Not making eye contact, Corrin made his way towards the bar.

"How many rooms do you have available?" he asked.

"All of them" the bartender responded.

"All of them?" Corrin repeated.

"We don't get visitors in this town, you are the first in a long time" the man looked a little too happy to have them. "How many rooms do you need?" Corrin dropped a small sack of gold coins.

"We'll take five rooms"

"Of course!" the man pulled out five bronze keys from under the bar sliding them towards Corrin. Taking them without question he was ready to turn around but was quick face the bartender again.

"If I may ask, what can you tell me about this town?" the man lost his smile at the question, carefully looking between Corrin and his companions; there wasn't hostility, just fear.

"That depends, what do you want to know?" Corrin leaned closer.

"Tell me about the person who governs this town, what are they like?" the bartender shook his head.

"Sorry but I have nothing to say, for your own good I would mind your own business" Corrin didn't press any further, he figured it had something to do with the Master of this town; this certainly was something worth investigating; but that would be for another time. He led his group to the second floor of rooms.

"So what are we doing here Big Brother?" everyone had gathered into a single room, Elise had asked the question plaguing everyone's mind; most had the general idea of Corrin's motive, but was unsure as to what the exact objective was.

"I'm looking for a man called Merak, I have been told that he resides in this town" the name didn't seem to ring any bells among the group, all except for Arthur and Effie, whose eyes widened at the name.

"The Might of Nohr? He's here?" Arthur questioned and for some reason Corrin knew the man would recognize the name.

"Yes, he's currently in hiding but I need his help to assist in my objective"

"My, this truly is exciting; to be able to meet a legend in person" Arthur spoke cheerfully. Elise looked over to her retainer.

"Who is Merak?" she asked. Arthur was still in awe to reply so Effie spoke.

"Merak was King Garon's first retainer, he played a key role in uniting Nohr; not only that but he was known to be one of the most skilled warriors to have ever graced the battlefield"

"So why haven't I heard about him before?" Elise questioned; Corrin flicked her forehead.

"That's because you haven't been studying like you should be" Merak's name has been in hundreds of books; he along with King Garon were always the main topic, highlighting their exploits together, most likely as a form of propaganda.

"His name is widely known on the streets, we consider Merak to be a hero of the people" Effie added. Though now it begged the question as to why Merak was exiled, having such a hero present would certainly be a morale booster for the people.

"Alright, so he's a hero, what does that have to with your plan?" Selena asked, she stood in the corner, arms crossed.

"He will be key to helping me form a rebellion against the King"

"Rebellion?" all the retainers minus Felicia cried out.

"Lady Elise, did you know about this?" Effie asked her liege, the youngest Princess nodded.

"Yes, my siblings and I are all in on Corrin's plan; we plan to defeat the Evil King"

"Evil King? But King Garon is your father Lady Elise" Arthur spoke. It was at that moment Garon appeared next to Corrin surprising everyone; even Azura who seemed to be the most composed out of everyone was shocked to see the spirit.

"Not exactly" Garon said. "The man you call King Garon is but an empty shell controlled by a higher power"

"Anankos" Selena finished. Both Corrin and Garon nodded.

"How exciting! Then that means Lord Corrin has communed with the dark spirits to be transformed as an anchor for the drifting soul of our dark kingdom" Odin deducted, he then pointed to Corrin, "You have become a shadow of vengeance!" Corrin seemed to have been roped into his antics decided to play along.

"Exactly as my comrade of darkness says. The void speaks to me; it has tasked me along with the undying vengeance of Nohr, the quest of slaying the evil God Dragon Anankos!" Selena groaned into her hands realizing she had one more Odin to deal with. Elise was laughing.

"Leo was right you are weird, and I love it" she told Odin who looked honored by her praise. Before either Corrin or Odin could continue Azura cleared her throat rather loudly.

"Before you kids continue with your shenanigans why don't we finish our previous conversation"

"Agreed with Lady Azura" Garon replied although he seemed a little disappointed about moving onto a more serious tone, it would seem he enjoyed Corrin and Odin's exaggerated speech. "As Lady Effie said, Merak has become an icon for the people of Nohr, having him be a symbol to unite under will help our cause in freeing Nohr from Anankos' grasp"

"Permission to speak your majesty" Effie asked, she was still stunned King Garon was speaking to them in such a casual tone.

"You may speak"

"Who is Anankos?" Corrin was the one to answer her.

"It is a long story but he is a greater power that has killed and taken over King Garon's body; my siblings and I are planning to stop him to free Nohr"

"I see…"

"It certainly sounds like a hero's job!" Arthur called out. "I can see why you would want to recruit the great Hero of Nohr" Elise jumped up all giddy.

"Isn't all this so exciting!"

"So how do we plan to search for this man? This town may be small but running around without any leads is a waste of time" Selena told them. Luckily for them Laslow had an idea.

"Leave that to me"

"Oh no you don't!" Selena was quick to decline. "I know what you're planning you womanizer" Laslow brushed her off.

"It's our best shot and besides Odin will help me"

"I am?" The man questioned.

"Of course you are, the more the merrier" Odin didn't look too sure, almost reluctant.

"I don't know, last time we tried this it didn't exactly go as planned" this prompted many curious heads, wondering what Odin was talking about.

"Then I'll join in" Corrin announced, Selena looked at him shocked.

"Do you even know what you're joining in on?" She asked him.

"Woo some girls to get the information we want" he answered flatly, Selena only looked at him disapprovingly but he shrugged her off. "I agree with Laslow it's our best shot right now. As you might have noticed the people here are a bit tight lipped" Selena didn't respond only grumbled to herself while leaning against her corner.

"Are you sure about this?" Garon asked in a hushed tone. "Trust me when I say that women can be very ferocious"

"Speaking from experience I assume" Corrin replied. Garon only eyed the boy which answered that question, but it didn't falter him. "Don't worry, I'm in capable hands" everyone shifted uncomfortably, Laslow included. "Besides what's the worst that could happen".

* * *

The following afternoon, the sky was still dreary, but the storm had passed; everyone sat around a table in the inn; Laslow looking dejected, Corrin sat next to him with Felicia nursing his black eye; Odin was the only one looking a little proud.

"Zero… I failed to win over even one girl" Laslow was mumbling to himself.

"At least you didn't get punched" Corrin countered clearly still in much pain.

"Don't worry Lord Corrin, at least the children were fond of you" Felicia tried to heal her Lord's wounded pride.

"That doesn't really make me feel any better…" Corrin muttered in return. Selena was snickering across the table.

"Well you got what you deserved" she said.

"Hey! That remark wasn't my intention" Corrin shouted, while muttering his last words "She just overreacted"

"Well if it's anything, I managed to get the information we need" Odin said null of his usual speech patterns due to still being embarrassed.

"And the weirdo is the one that succeeds" Azura said not holding back any tact. "Says much about the women of this generation if they can be wooed by such idiotic behavior" she turned to the corner. "Don't you think so Kamui?" everyone looked over to the same corner seeing nothing, they were a little concerned for the old lady but not wanting to get shouted at, they did not speak up; and it seemed like Corrin had either gotten used to it, or just accepted that this was one of the old ladies unusual perks.

"Hey! You're technically in the same generation as us, you just so happen to be from a different timeline" Corrin retorted in attempts to defend Odin's honor; Azura rolled her eyes.

"Well anyways…" Lilith finally spoke up. "What did you find out?" Clearing his throat Odin was back up with his usual routine.

"Our shining hero lives in the deepest depths of town, next to the fangs of the lonely mountain"

"So next to the mines" Corrin translated.

"You understood that?" Selena questioned, Corrin shrugged.

"Men's talk"

"Then clearly I've been misinformed about how men talk" Selena said sarcastically, Corrin grinned.

"Why of course, you're not a man after all" he told her holding back a chuckle.

"You're insufferable" was the response.

"I live to please" Huffing Selena stood up walking to the bar. Corrin smiling turned to the others.

"Elise, you and your retainers will follow me to search for Merak's home" Elise hopped off her chair saluting to him.

"Yes Sir!" she answered, she was having way too much fun.

* * *

The land was rotten, there was no plant life and the ground beneath their feet was slowly breaking away. Even Elise had the right mind to trudge carefully, her light steps tapping the pathway. Before they arrived Corrin could hear the sound of yelling; dashing into cover behind the various boulders that littered the way they peaked at the commotion.

"By order of the Master, you are to be escorted to his manor!" A soldier shouted.

"Your Master has requested many times and my answer is going to be the same. Now leave at once!" A large man responded he overlooked the many soldiers with a steady gaze; you could see the soldiers shift with great discomfort. Elise who was too short couldn't get a good view.

"What's going on?" She whispered.

"Trouble" Corrin replied. He watched the soldiers pull out their weapons, swords, spears and axes; Corrin wasn't certain but judging by their formation, the soldiers were inexperienced, almost like they were recruited yesterday.

"As the Master has decreed all those who disobey are to be executed" the soldier continued, the man rolled his eyes.

"We go through this routine every week, when will you people learn!" the door behind him suddenly burst open, out ran a young man; he held a large pick axe.

"Henri! Go back inside!" The man ordered.

"But father" Henri protested.

"No excuse, your duty right now is to look after your mother" the older man was stern and was not taking any chances, a final glare forced the young man back into the house. Turning back to the soldiers he immediately avoided a thrust from a spear. The other soldiers moved in quickly; the man backed away slightly allowing the spear tips to reach their maximum length, then he countered; grabbing onto the wooden pole of a spear he twisted it with incredible force easily disarming the soldier, then with a single swing knocked all the other soldier away.

Corrin wanted to continue observing but knew that couldn't happen. He hopped out from his hiding spot and dashed into the fray kicking one soldier in the back.

"Arthur, Effie, watch over Elise!" Corrin called out. The two retainers happily complied much to Elise's dismay who seemed to want to help out. Disarming one soldier's sword Corrin took it for himself and used the flat side of the blade to smack a few faces away. The man was quite surprised to see someone else join the fight; but he was on edge, unsure if he was friend or foe, either way he would use the assistance to his advantage. Parrying a sword he jumped to the side dodging an axe and with the moment of vulnerability knocked the soldiers out. The soldiers realized they were outmatched and started to flee; some even dropping their weapons hoping it would allow them to run faster; it certainly was the case but unnecessary since neither the man nor Corrin were about to give chase.

"I appreciate the help but what is your intention?" the man very quickly asked, Corrin tossed his sword away.

"Are you Merak?" he asked. The man narrowed his eyes.

"Yes, but who's asking"

"My name is Corrin and I am a Prince of Nohr" Merak looked at the boy head to toe.

"So you are, what does a Prince want with me?"

"I have a proposition for you, perhaps we can sit and chat?" the boy spoke with temptation; Merak could already tell he was going to be a handful.

"Very well"

"Hey guys!" Corrin called. "You can come out now" Merak looked out and saw three individuals pop out from behind a rock. "You don't mind if they join us do you?" Corrin asked sweetly.

"Just don't make a mess" Merak said opening the door.

Walking in, the house was cozy, just big enough for three people to live in. The wooden floorboards squeaked under Corrin's feet prompting the residence to turn in his direction.

"Father!" Henri rushed over. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, prepare the kettle, we have guests" the young man looked at Corrin.

"Uh… of course, right away" he said hurrying off. A woman walked into view, Corrin assumed was Merak's wife; shockingly the woman was Hoshidan.

"Sayako" Merak greeted. "We have a guest" the woman smiled warmly at them.

"Greetings, please have a seat and make yourself at home" she didn't possess any accent; in fact it was as if she's been speaking Nohrian her entire life.

"Is something the matter?" Merak asked noticing his stare. Corrin flinched.

"I apologies, I just did not expect to meet a Hoshidan" Corrin answered honestly, despite not trying to be offensive, Merak certainly felt offended, though the woman seemed to have just laughed it off.

"Will that be a problem?" he asked again, Corrin looked at him shaking his head.

"No, I was just surprised, that is all"

"Merak, stop scaring the boy" Sayako scolded. It was certainly a breath of fresh air, it was nice to meet a Hoshidan who didn't hate all Nohrians like they were the plague. Merak huffed before gesturing Corrin to sit. Elise jumped forward.

"Nice to meet you Ms Sayako, I'm Elise and these are my friends Effie and Arthur" the two retainers gave her a light nod.

"Greetings" They both greeted. Sayako laughed.

"My, aren't you all a bundle of energy; please come in" Elise plopped down next to Corrin, Effie and Arthur chose to seat themselves in a chair next to their liege.

"I just wanted to say it is truly an honor to get the chance to meet you Lord Merak" Effie said.

"Indeed you truly are a hero among heroes!" Arthur added. Merak didn't look flattered.

"I would prefer if you didn't refer to me as hero" he told them. Arthur looked like he wanted to say something but was silenced by Corrin raising his hand, he then looked Merak in the eyes; he has heard many times that the eyes were the window to a person's soul, and though he still wasn't as good at reading people as say Xander and Camilla, he certainly had an understanding of it. The man sitting across from him was a veteran warrior, that was all that needed to be said.

"I know you were King Garon's former retainer, the one they call the Might of Nohr" Merak leaned back crossing his arms.

"So I am, but what does that have anything to do with what you wish to speak to me about?" Corrin wasted no time, eyes sparkling with excitement.

"I need your help to overthrow King Garon" there was a crashing noise, both Corrin and Merak turned to see Henri's hand slip on the kettle. Sayako rushed to her son's side.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine mother" was the reply before turning to face his father. "Overthrow the king! Are you being serious" Henri looked excited much to Merak's dismay, he knitted his brow.

"Henri be silent, this does not concern you"

"But father, this is your chance!" he exclaimed. "You can finally take your revenge!"

"Enough! There will be no talk of revenge in this house" Merak yelled frightening Elise who scooched closer to Corrin. Henri looked dejected. Merak turned back to Corrin who kept his eyes locked onto him.

"What makes you think you have what it takes to overthrow the King? Many have tried and all have failed" a valid point but Corrin wasn't about to be swayed.

"Because we have something bigger planned" it was Elise who spoke up clearly wanting her voice to be heard. Merak darted from the girl to Corrin.

"And what is that?" he asked him.

"Unite all of Nohr, and bring down the Tyranny that is King Garon" as Corrin spoke those words, Henri's eyes glowed with admiration. "Which is why I need your help" Merak shook his head.

"I refuse" with such a quick response, Corrin didn't even have time to wrap his head around his answer.

"You refuse?" he repeated, Merak nodded.

"Yes, I refuse; the Kingdom's problems no longer concern me"

"How can you say that?" Corrin exclaimed. "You were once the most respected man in all of Nohr, with your presence alone many will rally behind your banner, overthrowing King Garon will be easy!" however Merak wasn't at all fazed, he grunted shaking his head.

"It is incorrect to assume I still hold such influence" Merak's words were quite hard to bear for people like Effie and Arthur who held much respect for the man. "No, I am nothing more than a simple old man" Sayako approached placing a cup of tea in front of each of them, Corrin looked down, it was Hoshidan tea.

"Merak" she said sitting next to the man placing a comforting hand over his. "The boy has a point; I know your heart pains to see what your former liege has become, maybe it is time something was to be done?" Corrin became hopeful by her words, he quickly turned back to Merak, his face fell; the man had not budged.

"No. I have made up my mind; I will not be helping you. I am sorry that you made this journey only to be disappointed" Corrin sighed leaning back.

"Nothing I say can change your mind?" he asked him. Merak shook his head. Sighing he took a sip from the tea, pleasantly surprised by it; thinking back he never did get the chance to try Hoshidan tea during his time in Hoshido; the aroma was different from Nohrian tea, there was freshness to it, something he could appreciate having gotten so used to the usual floral taste of Nohrian tea. "Very well" standing up Corrin made his way to the door. "I appreciate the chance to talk". Merak didn't say anything keeping his head down.

"What! That's it?" Elise shouted. "But the plan!"

"It's alright Elise" Corrin told. "We will think of something else" Corrin didn't want to admit it but he was disappointed, this turn of events certainly hindered his plan; without his banner, recruiting the rest of Nohr would be a little more challenging; certainly not impossible, it just was going to take a lot more work.

The sound of wheels rolling in followed by the yell of a soldier caught everyone's attention; Merak was the only one to roll his eyes out of annoyance; he already knew what was happening.

"It would seem we have a situation" Corrin commented.

"Sayako, Henri, stay inside, I will deal with this" Merak told his family.

"Be careful" Sayako whispered; Henri narrowed his eyes watching his father walk out the door. Corrin and Elise creeped over to the small window that overlooked the front, seeing a platoon of thirty soldiers; they stood around a beautifully decorated horse carriage.

"Who's that?" Elise asked.

"Most likely the Master of this place" Corrin mumbled. The carriage door opened, a short and round man walked out, he scrunched his nose while straightening out the creases to his vibrant coat, the sound of gems clanking against each other while his fingers moved.

"Hmph" Elise pout made Corrin raise a brow.

"What's the matter Elise" he asked. Crossing her arms, Elise made angriest yet most adorable expression.

"That man is Colewell and he is a big bully" she told him. "He's always sucking up to Father, and is always looking down on people, I even saw him harassing the servants a few times"

"Colewell is a vile man" Henri added. Both Corrin and Elise looked over to him. "He sucks the people dry of their resources and expects them to live off scraps"

"Henri, not in front of our guests" Sayako said, but Henri was angry, he was finally releasing all the frustration he has been bottling up.

"But Mother! It has to be said! The people are living in poverty while that man lives in luxury; it is unacceptable!"

"You're right" Corrin told him. "It is unacceptable" turning back to look out the window, Corrin narrowed his eyes. "And I wonder what I should do with him" he whispered his last few words; only Elise had heard him.

Outside, Merak stood staring down at the small man. Colewell ignored the dirty look, he was too busy dusting off his clothes.

"I can't understand how someone can live in such filth" he muttered to himself. He looked up only to cowardly back away under the large man's glare. Straightening himself up Colewell cleared his throat.

"Merak! My good friend" he called out. "I am truly hurt, how could you reject my invitation, I was looking forward to speaking with you" Merak let out a snort, he stepped out onto the muddy road, his boots slowly sinking into the dirt.

"Well you are here now, what do you want?" although irritated to be speaking to the short man, Merak was able to maintain a sense of mannerism. However the nobleman looked dissatisfied by the behavior, having expected a grand welcome; he puffed out his chest and put on an arrogant smirk.

"Straight to the point, that's what I like about you Merak…."

"Just get to the point Colewell, I don't have all day" Merak interrupted.

"Very well, I want you to join my guard" he announced as if it was the most prestigious position in the world. The man certainly had confidence, though it might have been mistaken for ignorance, because it was quite clear Colewell was oblivious to Merak's scowl.

"I refuse" his reply was so simple yet held so much force, Colewell took a few steps back.

"What do you mean you refuse? If you work for me, you will be showered with riches, you wouldn't have to live in such a disgusting place" Merak took offense to his words, scowl darkening he glared down at the man.

"After all these years, you still haven't realized?" he grabbed the small man by his collar. "I will never work for worthless scum like you" throwing the man to ground he proceeded to glare at Colewell's escort, all of them flinched under his stare. "And all of you, you think that you are free to do what you wish in this town without any consequences? Think again" scrambling onto his feet Colewell retreated back towards his men who were antagonized by Merak's threat, ready to kill the man when given the order.

"How dare you!" Colewell screamed. "Do you have any idea who I am?"

"Worthless scum" baffled Colewell was shaking with rage, he pointed at Merak.

"Seize him!" the soldiers eagerly charged forward.

"Hold it right there!" Elise yelled running out of the house. Colewell's eyes popped out at the sight of her; he quickly straightened himself up hoping to salvage any dignity he had left.

"Princess Elise! What on earth are you doing here?" Both Sayako and Henri were shocked by this revelation, their eyes widening as they looked at the girls small form.

"None of your business you bully!" Elise fired out, the young Princess was angry, and even Corrin would be wary when she was like this.

"Now, now Princess, that sort of language isn't befitting someone such as you" Colewell tried to quell her anger, but his parental tone only backfired when Elise glared at him deeply.

"I will speak however I want Colwell" she continued to yell. "In fact, what is the meaning of this?" Colewell was genuinely puzzled by Elise's question.

"I don't understand Princess" he then motioned to the carriage. "But please, if there is anything you are dissatisfied why don't we return to my manor and we can discuss this; I can also get in touch with your siblings, I am sure they are worried about you" Elise was about to reject the offer but was interrupted.

"It would be a pleasure to be invited to your manor Lord Colewell" Corrin spoke up. Colewell looked upon Corrin with confusion, so the Prince decided to enlighten him. "I am Corrin, a Prince of Nohr; I do believe this is our first time meeting"

"Prince?" Colewell had to take a moment for everything to click. "P-Prince Corrin! Of course! The mysterious Prince that has been fighting on the front lines!" now ignoring Merak, the noble man motioned both royals towards his carriage. "Please come! It would be an honor to have you both in my humble abode" Elise looked to her brother, waiting for his lead; Corrin motioned his farewell to Merak and his family; both Sayako and Henri looked onwards dumbly, they waved, unsure how to behave in the presence of the now revealed Prince and Princess. Merak made a grunt, glad that his troubles were being inherited by someone who actually wanted to get involved. Effie and Arthur quickly moved to stand by Elise's side.

"Oh! I hope you don't mind that we bring along some of our companions" Corrin told Colewell.

"Of course! They are all welcome" was his response.

Merak watched the carriage disappear along with the soldiers. One thing caught his attention, and that was the mischievous glint in Corrin's eyes as he entered Colewell's carriage; he didn't know what that signified but it certainly didn't sound good for the noble; but maybe the Prince could do something about the foolish man.

"Did you know?" Sayako asked.

"About them being royalty?" Sayako nodded. "Yes"

"Then why didn't you say anything; I was being so rude, I didn't even greet them properly" she told Merak; the man shrugged walking back into the house.

"It matters not" he told her, but then paused. "Where is Henri?"

"Is he not inside?" Sayako asked looking inside for her son. Merak looked behind him.

"Don't tell me he followed them".

* * *

Out in the far distance of town, a gang of black horse riders stood waiting; a single armored horse strolled to the front, a female warrior holding onto the reins, she was clad in full black steel plating, two menacing eyes bore through the visor of an ominous helmet watching the small mining town. She looked back to her riders, all of them staring back at her, their hollow eyes void of their humanity, they were all husks of their former self.  
"Leave none alive, I want the head of the Grave Walker" she told them. They responded with eerie howl's, unleashing a chilling breath; the stampeding horses charged forward, their hooves smashing the ground. Swords were drawn; the riders were out for blood.


	12. The Queen of Valla

**Sorry this one took so long, this chapter turned out longer than I had expected it to be. Let me know what you think!**

* * *

It was unnerving for both Corrin and Elise, the way the mansion was furnished was far more spectacular than any place they've ever seen; the golden chandeliers, the well-furnished furniture, the well-crafted art pieces; everything was custom made. Not even as royalty did they possess such wealth, they had to sacrifice most of it for the sake of giving to the people; not to mention the food set out in front of them was almost something out of a dream; meats and vegetables of all kinds; everyone had to wonder where it all came from. Elise in particular held a grim expression she didn't like what she was seeing at all. They were all seated around a long table with Colewell sitting at the end overlooking everyone; Lilith peeked at Corrin who had his eyes locked onto Colewell, she wondered what he was thinking, she was certain it was something devious, she could only hope it wasn't anything too dangerous.

"Your Highness', what brings you here to this far out place?" Colewell starts while digging into his meal. "Surely you all have far more important matters to attend to out in the frontlines" Corrin leaned back on his chair.

"I had heard about your reputation Lord Colewell, and I just had to see for myself" he told him.

"My word; just what sort of rumors have you heard?" Colewell's smile widened eager to hear his next words; Corrin rested his chin on his hand.

"Mostly good things" he answered dismissively before pushing the conversation in a different direction. "I am quite impressed with how you've ruled over such an insignificant place. You've kept the people working and maintained a steady income of minerals, despite the small mine" everyone had to wonder if Colewell noticed the subtle insult in his statement but based on the way he was grinning most likely not. Elise really wanted to speak out against the nobleman, she had to use everything within her to keep herself quiet, she did not want to ruin whatever Corrin had planned.

"To be praised by you Prince Corrin is an honor" Colewell said feigning modesty, everyone could see he was swimming in the complement.

"My words hardly mean anything Lord Colwell, in fact I believe that you should be rewarded for your excellent work" Corrin continued.

"R-reward?" Colewell stammered, dropping his fork with disbelief.

"Yes, I will put in a good word for you to my father, I am sure he will want to hear of your great achievement" Corrin picked up his glass taking a sip of the contents, wine; not exactly to his liking. "However, I am curious; how do you do it?"

"I'm sorry?" Colewell asked clearly not paying attention to Corrin's question.

"I want to know how you did it" Corrin spoke louder. "How do you rule this land; how do you keep order of the people?"

"Ah! Of course! Of course! It would be my pleasure to share with you my secrets" clearing his throat Colewell beckoned a servant, a boy rushed towards him a pitcher of wine in hand and very quickly pouring the contents into the cup. Elise saw fear in the boy, and though the boy hid it very well, she was able to spot the slight tremble in his movements; anger built up but she was quick to calm herself by taking a deep breath; she needed to keep quiet.

"You see" Colewell took a swing of his wine. "I found out, if you take everything from them, you can break them both physically and mentally; take away their resources, the people will become weak; take away their pride and purpose, they lose hope" another swing. "When they lose everything, they will do anything to get it back. I tell them to crawl, they crawl, I tell them to beat their neighbor, they will. It is quite easy"

"I see, that certainly is an interesting way of doing things" Corrin was sickened but he hid it very well. "So where did all your guards come from? Based from my understanding, there are no Nohrian soldiers stationed here" Colewell laughed.

"You are correct. I was actually able to hire bandits; it turns out that they make quite a good set of soldiers" that explained a lot; the lack of technique those guards possessed certainly reflected this; but this was concerning, giving bandits such power meant they could do whatever they pleased without consequence, no wonder the townspeople were all so terrified. "As long as you have the right price, those bandits will follow your orders" not exactly true; sure, money played a part, but it was the freedom to do whatever they wished that played a bigger role in their obedience. Corrin stroked his chin.

"Your methods have certainly caught my interest" looking up he held a wicked grin. "I would like to buy this town off you" he cocked his brow. "If you are interested, I can have you assigned to somewhere a little more… important"

"Big brother! Y-you can't possibly be implying giving this man more power!" Elise cried out, no longer able to keep it in. Corrin raised his hand silencing her; he kept his eyes locked on Colewell, the man looking very ecstatic.

"But why? Surely there are far more important locations to invest your time with your Highness" he questioned, Corrin maintained his expression, and to everyone that knew him well, they knew he was hiding something behind that smile.

"Consider it a pet project of mine. The way you've created such obedient citizens amazes me. I want to continue what you've done and conduct experiments of my own" Colewell was hesitant and Corrin noticed this, all he needed was a little push. "Of course I don't plan to take this land from you for free; how about…. Two million gold" Colewell spit put the wine he was drinking.

"Two million!" he yelled, delightfully in fact. Everyone stared at Corrin wide eyed, not even sure what he was doing anymore.

* * *

Dinner had dragged on for an eternity, both Corrin and Colewell were negotiating their terms for the transfer of ownership of Fielton while the others could only sit quietly listening to their conversation. There were many instances that Elise wanted to interrupt, everything that was being spoken off made the princess more and more worried, she trusted Corrin that much was for sure, but she needed to know what exactly he had planned. When the two were finally done speaking they were escorted to the guest quarters, each of them given a private room. Midnight had come and everyone had gathered in Corrin's room all of them eager to get their answers.

"Big brother! Explain everything!" Elise shouted standing over him, she huffed.

"What do you mean?" Corrin feigned ignorance earning him a whack on the head by the little princess. "Now, now, no need to get violent Elise, just let me explain" he looked around the room, everyone was looking at him intently. "I'm putting up a front; if I want to earn the man's trust I need to appeal to his interests" they had to admit, he spoke some truth, but that didn't make it easy to accept, they were still concerned about certain details of the plan.

"Milord do you plan to actually give the man that much gold?" Felicia asked.

"Of course not, but he doesn't know that" he turned to Lilith. "Speaking of which; sister, I don't suppose you know how to turn stones into gold" Lilith had to take a moment, she was still processing herself being called sister, the girl flushed light red before answering quietly.

"Yes" Corrin smiled.

"Excellent, then I'm going to need your help" Lilith needed to warn him, despite having so much power there was still a limit to how much that can be done; she did not want to get Corrin's hopes up.

"The spell will only last for a few hours before they will turn back" she told him, she however was not expecting him to smile.

"Even better" standing up there was a sudden mischievous aura surrounding the prince and though nobody understood his thoughts they maintained their trust in him.

"I still don't understand what you're planning big brother" Elise wondered her brow knitting into a frown, she crossed her arms.

"Let's just say, I have a big surprise waiting for our good friend Colewell" Elise stared at him still frowning, Corrin gave her a cheeky grin. Another whack from the princess, Azura and Selena both laughed in unison, a little too happy seeing Corrin getting hit.

"Elaborate big brother, I don't like riddles!"

"Ow! Ow! Fine! Just stop hitting me!"

* * *

With nobody in sight Corrin and the others crept out into the dark woods, they spent quite a while scouting for a decent location to conduct their business, it needed to be both spacious and isolated, they didn't want anybody spotting what they were doing. When everyone had learnt of Corrin's plan they were actually a little disappointed, they had expected it to be much grander, Odin especially expected them to ride in all hero like and vanquish the evil nobleman, very much like stuff in fairy tales; they didn't expect it to be something so…. Normal. While the majority of them started gathering rocks, Elise and Felicia were instructed to keep watch for any soldiers, but considering how incompetent the guards were, they highly doubted they would be found, though it didn't hurt to remain vigilant.

The two females stood side by side, an awkward silence lingered between the two; Elise in particular kept throwing small glances at the maid, the quiet was boring her, minutes of only the sound of a gentle breeze and tree branches rustling, she feared she would soon go mad without any sort of human interaction.

"So…." she said out of the blue, her voice actually startling Felicia. "What is working for Corrin like?" not prepared for that question the maid needed a moment to think of an answer, of course all her thoughts were positive, she just struggled to think of the right words to say.

"Lord Corrin is a very kind master!" her loud voice caught Elise off guard, but Felicia very quickly lowered her voice, hanging her head low and speaking in a whisper. "Though I am ashamed to say that Lord Corrin looks after me more than I look after him..." Elise started laughing slapping Felicia on the back.

"Don't be disheartened, that's Corrin for you!"

"But that's not good enough" frowning Felicia started twiddling her thumbs. "As Lord Corrin's retainer I need to be more competent!" Elise realized that this was actually bothering the maid and decided she wanted to help, ideas started to form and many of them were from watching Effie's training schedule, she knew Felicia would definitely benefit from them.

Suddenly something caught Felicia's attention, the slight sound of feet treading dirt, normally nobody would be able to hear but with Felicia's trained ear she caught the sound immediately. Pulling out her dagger, Felicia turned towards the sound.

"Is something the matter?" Elise asked. Felicia did not answer her, instead telling her to stay put

"Lady Elise please stay here I am going to go take a look" and the maid disappeared. Felicia traversed through the trees, her light steps allowing her to move swiftly and silently, using her trained eyes she was able to see everything clearly, she saw a silhouette in the distance. Unveiling her knife, she waited; the person continued to advance and when they were just beneath Felicia, she made her move. Dropping down she tackled the culprit to ground and brought her weapon to the person's throat.

"Wait! Wait" the person cried out. Felicia adjusted her vision to see a young man crying for mercy, judging by his attire he was a local.

"Who are you?" Felicia questioned.

"My name is Henri! I came here looking for Prince Corrin" he cried out.

"Why!" Felicia demanded.

"I want to join him! I want to join his rebellion!" the young man was terrified even when Felicia lightened her hold on him.

"Felicia! What happened?" Corrin shouted approaching them, Laslow in tow holding a torch. Corrin raised a questioning brow noticing Henri. "Let him go Felicia he's not a threat" he told her, the maid quickly retracted her blade moving to Corrin's side.

"It's dangerous to be snooping around like this" Corrin told him reaching out and helping the young man up; but as soon as Henri stood up he immediately got onto one knee bowing to him.

"Your Highness! I want to join you on your quest to usurp the king!" Corrin was shocked to see that he followed them this far out into forest; which begged the question if Merak was aware that his son was out here?

"Does your father know you're here?" He asked him, Henri shook his head.

"No, but I've made up my mind. I want to help" he told them. Corrin was hesitant, he wondered if he should accept the offer; based on how protective Merak was with his family he would most likely be furious if his son had joined the rebellion; Corrin didn't need that kind of trouble right now.

"Can you use a sword?" He asked Henri; the young man paused, shaking his head. "A spear?" he shook his head again, so Corrin tried again. "Axe? Bow?" still nothing. "Magic?" silence again, sighing Corrin tried to look disappointed. "Sorry but if you can't even wield a weapon I cannot use you" Henri looked devastated, he had high hopes that he would be accepted. "Why do you want to join me anyways?"

"I'm sick of doing nothing" Henri started. "Our kingdom is dying and our king has done nothing but sit around creating chaos for his own people. Father told me the king used to be a good man but after everything that has happened, I find that hard to believe. I want to make a difference for Nohr"

"Sometimes you shouldn't believe everything you see" Corrin told him. At this Henri looked up surprised. "Anyways. As much as I respect your dedication I still cannot let you join me" Corrin had to admit, the young man had a powerful drive, he could see it in his eyes; a shame too, he could have really used someone like him in his army.

"Please! I will do anything, I can sharpen your weapons and clean your armor, I am confident I can do a good job" he was becoming desperate. Corrin looked over to his companions hopefully getting some insight in what he should do, but they just stared back at him, he sighed, the decision was up to him.

"Look, you can assist us on our current mission and we'll see where that leads us" Henri lit up smiling.

"You won't regret this" he told them. Corrin turned around making his way back to the others.

"Let's hope not" he mumbled very silently that nobody heard. They returned to their little operating grounds, from a distance people would wonder what was happening, the sight was just so bizarre.

"How goes the hunt?" Corrin asked, Effie and Arthur stood next to a mountain of rocks, each one of different size but all no bigger than their fists. Lilith looked worried, she was still sceptical about the plan, but mostly of her own capability in this. She felt a hand clasp her shoulder, jolting she looked up to Corrin's smiling face.

"Don't worry, I have faith in you" he told her; Lilith honestly didn't know what it was, maybe it was his smile, but she suddenly felt more confident than she was before.

"What are you all planning?" Henri asked. Corrin twirled on his feet facing him and ready to present their master plan.

"What do we know about Nobleman Colewell?" He asked them all.

"He's a big bully!" Elise yelled.

"Yes, he's a bully, but he's also a fool who values gold and his own reputation. So tell me how do we deal with someone like him?" he asked everyone, they all kept silent. Corrin shrugged before forming a wicked grin, one far too sinister that anybody has ever seen him have. Elise, Felicia and Lilith were worried, every action Corrin has taken has been out of character, the way he spoke and the way he presented himself; gone was naivety and in its place was something much more powerful, he was the representation of the ideal prince of Nohr. And though they missed the old Corrin, they realized this new Corrin was more reliable. Corrin continued, he picked up a pebble weighing it in his hands before tossing it to his other hand. "Take everything away from him, strip him of his riches and his dignity"

"And how do you propose we do that?" Selena questioned, Corrin pulled out a roll of paper.

"With this document" he told her. "I put it together a couple hours ago; this will allow me to own everything Colewell owns"

"That man isn't that dumb, he won't give up his belongings that easily" came Selena's reply, Corrin continued to smile, lifting a finger up almost scoldingly at them.

"Ah! But he is not very observant, he likes to focus on favorable things. For example while I was discussing gold he didn't even notice me swapping his wine with Selena's"

"What!" the red head screamed, she stomped over to him but was held back by Odin. Corrin continued ignoring Selena's outburst.

"So, what I plan to do is have him distracted while I get him to sign this contract. And the rest…. Well it will all fall into place"

"I'm still a little skeptical" Laslow spoke. "What's to say Colewell will retaliate with force? He still has those bandits under his control"

"They will only operate with pay, without gold they won't listen to him" Corrin assured.

"But it still makes them a liability?" Laslow countered. Corrin considered his words carefully; and he hated to admit it but Laslow spoke the truth.

"Then how about we deal with those bandits first?" He suggested. "Discreetly of course" at this nobody had any objections. For Henri he was having a little trouble keeping up, he wanted to speak out and ask some questions but was interrupted by a scream.

"Did you guys hear that?" Henri asked, the others glanced around looking for the source, it was Selena who answered.

"We might have a problem" everyone followed her gaze, they saw a red glow and with it black smoke.

"Well that doesn't look good" Corrin muttered.

* * *

Fire, smoke, blood; it was everywhere. When the group arrived, they were horrified; the people were in panic running as fast as they could away from the chaos; the flames were hot and unnatural; contrary to belief, flames conjured through magic and natural occurring flames burned very differently, in both hotness and their color. The houses were engulfed in red fire consuming the damp wood, it was spreading fast and very soon nothing would be left.

Not very surprising, none of Colewell's men were present, no doubt they were loitering around Colewell's mansion where it was safe. A very devious yet cruel plan popped into Corrin's head, and though he felt some reluctance to follow through with this plan, something urged him. Very quickly he ran towards the fire helping anybody who needed help escaping, the others followed suit. "Our main priority is to protect the citizens!" Corrin ordered.

"Yes sir!" Came the reply and they dispersed.

Six knights spotted Corrin and immediately advanced towards him; Corrin faced them with a smile waving to them while slowly backing away.

"Looking for me?" He asked them cheerfully; the knights didn't answer, Corrin watched them and when they were just within reach he dashed away. "If you want my head you're going to have to be faster than that" he taunted them, and like the mindless monsters they were, the knights fell for it. From a distance away Lilith watched her brother be chased, she panicked.

"Lord Corrin!" She called out to him, she was held back by Selena.

"Let him be, I think I know what he's planning" she told her while their eyes wandered up to Colewell's mansion. "Henri was it?" She called out to their new temporary recruit. The young man perked up looking over to Selena, he looked eager to be helpful, and though Selena could appreciate the enthusiasm, she highly doubt he would be of any help here; but Henri was a resident of the town so they could use that to their advantage. "Where is the most secure place in this town?" She asked him. He took a moment to think.

"The church, it's probably the most fortified building here next to Colewell's mansion"

"Can it hold all these people?" was the net question, Henri nodded. "Good, then lead all these people there"

"What about the Prince?" Henri asked.

"Leave him to us, your job is to keep the civilians safe" Selena pointed to Laslow and Odin. "You two are with me, we're going after the idiot Prince" they saluted at her.

"You got it!" They said. Selena then moved to Elise who was busy Healing the injured, luckily nothing severe, mostly scratches and bruises.

"Princess Elise" hearing her name the young girl looked at Selena. "Can you and your retainers escort the civilians to the church? They will be safe there" she asked politely, which was very unlike her she realized, but there was something about the youngest Nohrian princess that stopped her from being rude, she just couldn't quite place it.

"You got it! Leave it to us" Selena didn't know how the princess did it but she certainly appreciated her optimism.

"Felicia, Lilith, you two assist them" were Selena's last few orders, Felicia didn't approve, she disliked the idea of not being the one to protect Corrin.

"I would prefer to be the one to go after Lord Corrin" she voiced out. Frustrated, Selena spoke with more hostility than she wanted.

"Just go with them, you'll only get in our way!" Felicia frowned looking dejected, Laslow quickly stepped in speaking with a steady head.

"What Selena means is that because the three of us have been fighting together longer, you joining us would throw us off our synergy. You would be helping Lord Corrin more by protecting the civilians" and he was right, Corrin valued the safety of the townspeople above all else, and Selena's orders would most likely mirror Corrin's own. A hand clasped over Felicia's shoulder, it was Lilith, she guided her towards Elise and the other townspeople. With that out of the way the two groups went their separate ways, Selena, Odin and Laslow raced off towards Corrin.

* * *

Colewell's mansion was large, large enough to house at least eighty people which was basically the population of the town. Azura had wanted to go with Corrin and do whatever it is he had planned but with a place this big, she doubted her old legs would be able to take her that far, instead she chose to remain indoors in her dimly lit room; her hands brushed over the rough pages of Kamui's journal; her fingers traced the letters halting over the last few words.

"Mikoto…" Azura whispered, her voice cracking with sorrow. The mystery behind Kamui's journal still baffled her; for years the book had remained empty, but ever since Corrin appeared the pages started filling up; she wondered what sort of connection the boy had in all this. She heard screams, brow furrowing she snapped the journal shut tucking it safely away and made her way towards the sounds; she wasn't going to get any sleep with this ruckus.

"You know I never would have imagined your men to be this incompetent" Corrin told Colewell while he watched all the bandits get slaughtered by the black knights. Colewell was sweating, he backed away from all the bloodshed bumping into Corrin who stopped him from moving further.

"Your highness?" Colewell's whimpered, clearly terrified and confused by what Corrin was waiting for.

"These may be your personal men, but they still represent Nohr's military and if this is the extent of their ability then I'm afraid they don't pass Nohrian military standards, as a General I'm going to have to have them removed from your service" Corrin was completely aloof from the slaughter happening in front of him. Ignoring his words Colewell grabbed onto Corrin's shirt.

"Your Highness! Please! You have to save me!" he begged, of course Corrin had expected this, it was all going according to plan; though he would have preferred his previous plan but given the situation he decided he needed a different approach, one that could kill two birds with one stone; in the end his ultimate goal was to remove both Colewell and his men from the picture. Pulling Colewell's hands off his shirt he pushed the Noble off to the side; disappointment wasn't exactly what he was feeling right now, there had to be expectations in to feel disappointment, rather he was just annoyed; Colewell's men had all fallen so quickly meaning Corrin didn't even get the chance to observe the black knight's abilities. Either way, that wouldn't change the outcome.

"You ready Garon?" he whispered.

"Yes" came the reply. Corrin picked up a sword brandishing it.

"Let's hope these knights aren't on the same level as that other guy" Corrin said remembering the overpowering knight during the battle in the north.

The black knights attacked immediately. Looking closer there was something off putting about the way they ran, it was sluggish and somewhat unnatural, almost like something was pulling their limbs to move. Thoughts aside, Corrin quickly avoided their powerful blades while also parrying one in the process; the knights moved to surround him. Attacking the knight closest to him his weapon was blocked, Corrin backed away just barely dodging a blade coming down on him from the side; Garon appeared behind him parrying two swords that attacked from behind, this left them vulnerable for a brief moment; Corrin swirled around and sliced one knight's head clean off. Unfortunately this did not waver the knight's, rather it forced them to become more relentless in their assault, their attacks became faster and more frequent. Corrin and Garon together could only fend them off for so long.

From the corner of his eye Corrin saw one knight stagger against his parry, he took this opportunity to kick the knight back creating an opening for escape. Fire Emblem glowing Corrin's sword glowed white; swinging his sword, the blade sliced through the knight's armor and into it's flesh, Corrin swung again, then Garon took his turn, again and again, the flurry of swings left twenty deep gashes into the knight; finally Corrin delivered the killing blow by separating the knight's head from its body; all of this happened in a matter of seconds. Creating some distance he readied himself for a second assault; thankfully Corrin was allowed a moment to breath. Suddenly there was a whizzing sound, it was an arrow and it pierced straight through one of the knight's head; then an explosion beneath their feet flinging them high up into the air before falling; finally a blur of a man with a sword engulfed in magic rushed in cutting one of the falling knights in two. Stunned Corrin watched Laslow stand, his sword still surging with magic, Odin along with Selena came into view with the latter holding onto a bow.

"This is certainly a surprise" Corrin said, he's never seen such explosive magic like Odin's, most of the spell's he's seen didn't have that explosive capability; second was Selena, he never knew she could use a bow and those arrows, they seemed to be magically enhanced somehow; finally Laslow, his magic enhanced sword, his swift speed, that small moment watching him was like watching a dancer enter the stage, it was graceful and effective. The three certainly were more than meets the eye. "What brings you three here?" he asked jokingly, Selena gave him the stink eye.

"Don't go running off like that. Remember, we're here to protect you, don't make things difficult for us" Corrin nodded acknowledging her words but didn't look at all ashamed.

"You got it! Though you guys should tell me more about your abilities when this is all over" he said with a smile that was basically mocking Selena; the girl huffed looking away.

"It would be a great honor to share with you the dark secrets that have been bestowed on us!" Odin said before lowering his voice to project a more serious tone. "But you must beware, for such secrets come with grave consequences" Corrin smirked.

"Do not fret! For I welcome danger" he waved his hands dramatically. "Your dark secrets cannot hold me!" The smile on Odin's face was wider than anyone has seen him have, he had finally met a comrade. Laslow cleared his throat.

"Not to interrupt but we're not done here" he told them while motioning to the remaining knights. Corrin nodded raising his sword.

"Then let's clean up here then" he told them.

* * *

Back with Elise, the young Princess was busy healing the injured, luckily she didn't need to resort to any severe medical attention, had that been the case they would have lacked the resources for such operations. Arthur and Effie kept the door shut but was met with strong resistance; the opposition was strong, with even Effie having trouble keeping the door shut. Elise looked around, the people were terrified, children were hugging their parents, mothers were soothing their children's fears and the men felt helpless.

"What should we do?" she heard Henri say, and she found that she had no answer, balling her hands she was disappointed in herself.

"Does the church have a cellar? Someplace the children can hide?" Lilith asked, Henri nodded. "Then we should start leading them there" Lilith looked over to Felicia, she was also helping the injured. "Felicia can you start leading the children to the cellars?" the maid nodded gathering the children and ushering them to follow, some of the mothers followed to assist. Another bang, but this time the door flew open throwing both Effie and Arthur off their feet; the townspeople scrambled to their feet moving to the furthest end of the church. The dust settled, three black knights slowly walked towards them; children's screams filled the walls, the men and women rushed to push them to safety. Effie and Arthur very quickly formed a defensive line in front of Elise who stood between the knights and the people. The young princess had a frown which masked her fear, like everyone else she wanted to run and hide, but she couldn't, she wouldn't allow herself to.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked them, the sound of metal greaves stomping was her response.

"Lady Elise, please find a safe place to hide" Effie told her liege. "We will buy you as much time as possible" the knights unleashed a blood curdling scream before charging at them, the sound actually made Elise freeze; Effie and Arthur realized their liege was in danger jumped to intercept, but one managed to slip through, the two retainers were horrified, they tried to stop the knight but was locked down by their adversary. Elise could only watch as the enemy sword drew closer; very quickly, Henri grabbed onto Elise's arm and pulled her away, just in time to avoid being cleaved in two.

"With all due respect Princess Elise, you shouldn't stand about like that" he told her, the princess still a little winded could only mutter a thank you. But there was no time to talk, the knight continued its advance now attack them both. Felicia saw what was happening chose to intervene. Knife in hand she used her momentum to redirect the knights swing, the blade just barely missing both Henri and Elise by a hairline.

"Take the Princess to a safe location!" she told Henri, not needing to be told twice he quickly dragged Elise away. Eyes narrowed Felicia readied a defensive stance; unlike her other opponents she wouldn't be able to use stealth to her advantage, and unlike her other opponents she needed to aim for the sure kill. With a steady breath she carefully scanned her opponent, finding many openings for attack, but the armor was a problem, heavy plate was something she wouldn't be able to penetrate with a dagger. As she's learnt, predict the enemies actions and move to counter accordingly. Felicia circled around throwing a dagger at the knight, it bounced off helplessly to the ground; dodging to the left she pulled out another dagger, this time using it to strike the knights joints, it didn't do damage but certainly was able to bypass through some of the armor. But that wasn't enough for Felicia, she needed to find a way to kill; looking over to Effie and Arthur, they were also having trouble, though compared to her it was getting the chance to attack their target; they had the strength to make a dent in the enemies defenses but lacked the speed to strike. Now with two daggers in hand Felicia waited for her opponent to strike; what was unexpected however was the sudden explosion erupting from the knight's face covering it in black smoke. Taken aback Felicia looked over to the source seeing Henri in a throwing position.

"You know magic?" she asked him, but she immediately doubted her own words.

"No, I just used an explosive" he told her.

"A what?" she questioned but didn't have time to get an answer; the knight leaped out of the smoke towards Henri who very quickly dived to the side avoiding death; Felicia let out a screeching whistle letting the knight's focus remain on her, she let loose her two daggers stabbing the knight's eye sockets; completely ignoring the attack the knight continued to attack, swinging its sword mindlessly, metal thrashing against wood, small splinters splashed around forcing Felicia to cover her face with her arms. Felicia was terrified, she was out of weapons and all of her attacks have been ineffective, she was running out of options.

Footsteps wrang in Felicia's ear, she saw someone approach, her heart sank thinking there was another one; but her fears vanished when a massive axe came crashing down onto the knight, blade embedded into its skull the knight stumbled down. The man dislodged the blade before finishing off the knight with a single beheading. Standing upright the person revealed himself to be Merak the former Grand General of Nohr.

"Move back" he told Felicia, he saw Effie and Arthur being pushed back. Merak shifted his grip on his weapon steadily approaching them with a single intent, to eliminate the evil that threatened his people. Two hands on his battle axe and with a mighty swing he cleaved straight through the armor of one knight separating an arm, with his other hand Merak grabbed the knight's head and with unbelievable force slammed it down onto the ground before finishing it off with another axe to the neck. With only one left it was easy picking for Merak; the knight shifted its attention to the former general. Merak easily parried away the sword aimed at his chest and with the butt of the axe knocked the knight's face away, and with one swift motion, Merak used the heel of the axe head to hook the knights neck, with a single yank, pulled the knight to its knees before performing another decapitation. To everyone observing the man his sequence of attacks was smooth and fast, had they blinked they would have missed even the slightest move; Merak had disposed the three knights without even breaking a sweat.

"Incredible, this is the strength of the Grand General" Arthur murmured, he was in complete awe.

"He really lives up to the name doesn't he" Effie added quietly.

"Henri!" a woman's voice called from the entrance.

"Mother?" Henri called out surprised to see his mother present in this whole fiasco; the Hoshidan woman rushed to her son's side hugging him tightly.

"Don't ever run off like that again" she told him. "I thought I lost you…" Henri realizing what he did hugged his mother back.

"I'm sorry I worried you mother" Sayako kept silent hugging her son tighter; Merak approached them as they broke apart, Henri looked at his father prepared for his scolding.

"That was absolutely reckless and stupid!" Merak told him, his voice raised but no hint of anger, he pulled him into a hug. "But I'm glad you're alright" Henri noticed a very subtle smile grace his father's lips and as if contagious made him smile too. However the mood was dampened when Marek looked over to the townspeople with a deep frown.

"Is everyone alright?" he asked them all, there was series of yes' much to his relief. "For the time being everyone stay put, the area is still too dangerous" he looked over to Elise, he was about to call out her name then decided against it, letting the people know there was royalty in their midst was not a good idea. "Can I leave healing the injured to you?" he asked. Elise stayed quiet nodding her acknowledgement. "Sayako, help the Princess" Merak whispered to his wife, the woman who was looking over at the young girl nodded. "Henri lend them your help as well"

"What about you?" his son asked him.

"I'm heading over to Colewell's mansion".

* * *

Escape was the only thing Colewell needed, he didn't care for anything else… well not entirely true, he currently was making his way to his secret vault, if he was going to escape he was taking all his gold with him. Stumbling around the corners he shoved all the servants away, he needed to gather his belongings before he was found. He was almost there, just a beeline forward and he would arrive; making a mad dash for his vault he was thwarted by Azura who blocked his path. The man continued to run he was prepared to push past the old lady to get what he wanted; but he froze, body crashing onto the ground Colewell felt the life sucked out of him.

"What did you do to me!" he screamed, Azura didn't answer, her attention was elsewhere, eyes focused front on the being behind him. Metal footsteps, that was all he Colewell needed to hear for his heart to sink.

"So it's true, you really managed to escape" a woman's voice spoke, it was distorted yet smooth, the way her voice ringed in the ear was terrifyingly soft, like death was welcoming you to the afterlife.

"And you've finally left your sanctuary" Azura replied, unlike most she no longer felt fear for the woman, she's been through so much that she's gotten used to the feeling. The Corrupted Queen of Valla, Arete; her black armor tinted with scars and dents; a long leather cape ripped and stained with blood; and the helmet scarred with fire; it was the same armor Azura remembered her wearing fifty years ago.

"You assume I have not before" she advanced towards the old woman. "You've been my prisoner for years, you have no way of knowing what I've been up to" Arete's foot stepped onto Colewell's back and she recoiled as if stepping onto something disgusting, without even a word she stomped onto the nobleman's head, with unnatural force smashing his skull open. She turned her attention back to Azura "Speaking of which you have certainly found an interesting companion, the Grave Walker" Azura felt a little bile rise up her throat at the disgusting sight, but she didn't feel remorse; attention back on Arete she knew what she needed to do.

"Is that why you've come here? To hunt him down?" Azura asked. Arete let out a hollow laugh.

"Yes and no. I've also come to see you, it has been far too long since I saw your face" the Queen got closer. "You've grown old"

"And judging by your voice, you haven't aged a bit" the way they spoke to each other was like greeting an old friend. "You've obtained immortality haven't you".

"You are as insightful as they come, a shame you don't use that quality enough" Azura clenched her fists, the Queen was right but that didn't mean she enjoyed hearing her say it. Arete sensed a presence behind her, she turned around to find her mark. "And we finally meet again" she spoke to Corrin; the Prince stood with his sword drawn, Laslow, Selena and Odin standing behind him with their weapons readied. With a single wave of her hand, Laslow, Selena and Odin were sent flying into a wall and locked in place.

"What!" Selena yelled, the three attempted to break free but were unsuccessful.

"I must say I'm impressed, not only were you able to break out of the crypt, you even managed to fend off against one of my best knights" Corrin was feeling nervous, so that knight was one of her men, with power to command such a monster he feared he stood no chance against the Queen. "I would like to test your strength. I am sure you will be able to satisfy my hunger for battle" the Queen drew her weapon; Corrin couldn't believe his eyes, that twisted black colored blade, it was the Ganglari.

"How…." Corrin was flabbergasted, he was certain that weapon was destroyed, could it be a replica? Or was it reforged.

"Do not look surprised Grave Walker, this weapon was a gift from the gods, it is a weapon that far exceeds your comprehension" Arete tilted her head. "Or are you stunned to see the weapon I used to kill your mother" the moment those words left her mouth, realization hit Corrin like a moving horse.

"What did you say?"

"The one who killed your mother was me" she repeated. There was an empty feeling within Corrin's core, like all emotion had suddenly been sucked out of him, but then rage, it built up so fast that his vision became blank, he no longer knew who was standing in front of him only that he knew he wanted to kill them.

"Corrin calm yourself!" Garon told him, but his words were deaf to Corrin's ears. Sword raised he charged forward knocking Arete into a wall.

"My, my, aren't you excited to get started" she said stepping out of the rubble. Corrin didn't even think, anger over taking him he swung his sword over his head; metal against metal as sparks flied. "Your strength is impressive for a boy, but you're still..." very quickly she slammed her fist into Corrin's face. "Lacking". Corrin recovered very quickly, sword now enhanced with magic, he thrust it forward but it was easily parried away; surprised, he let his guard down and was kicked in the stomach causing him to fall. "Do not mistake me for my lackies, they are mere worms compared to me" she pushed Corrin's head into the ground grinding her heel against his scalp.

"Stop this madness" Azura shouted. "If you need to kill someone, kill me instead, spare the boy" Corrin looked like he wanted to say something but was left to mutter something in the rubble. Arete laughed.

"I won't be taking his life nor yours" she applied more pressure to her heel pushing Corrin's face deeper into the ground. "No… I've changed my mind, I want to watch him grow, watch as the darkness within him consumes him. And when the day comes I will make him mine" stepping away a black portal appeared behind Arete as she walked through it.

"I can see why Anankos chose keep you alive" as if a joke only she understood the queen started laughing. "Please entertain me further you two" she added before disappearing.

Garon appeared by Corrin's side lifting the boy up.

"Are you alright?" he asked him. Corrin scrunched his brow, readjusting his vision, his breath steadying while he sat up straight.

"I'll be fine" he whispered. The trio run up to them all them looking at him with deep concern.

"Who was that?" Selena demanded. Corrin was still too winded to respond, so Azura was the one to speak.

"That was the Queen of Valla, the commander of the Fallen"

"Fallen? Is that what those things are called?" Laslow asked; Azura nodded.

"As you have experienced firsthand, they are a dangerous opponent"

"They feel no pain and have no remorse; they only know one thing and that is to kill" Corrin added, his eyes lowered onto his hands which were clenched in both anger and frustration. "So she was the one behind mother's murder" he whispered. After the horrific incident in Shirasagi town plaza he was the only one who remained, when his mother was killed in front of him, he honestly didn't know what to do, he felt an unshakable sadness and rage surge through him; everything pointed back to King Garon, and he wanted to question the King; back then he needed those answers, and back then he came out with nothing. But now, now things were different, everything he needed to know was right in front of him.

"Do not be consumed with revenge Corrin" Garon said sensing a wave of bloodlust seeping from his every pore. "Vengeance never leads to anything good" Corrin looked up at the man and the King could see sadness in his eyes.

"Then what will you have me do?" he questioned with more venom than he meant to. Garon placed a comforting hand over Corrin's shoulder.

"Do not fret, that woman is still your enemy, it is only a matter of time before we eliminate her; but what I mean is to not let vengeance cloud your judgement, it will only cause misfortune to everyone you know" Corrin considered his words carefully, the king was of course correct but this burning sensation in his chest just wouldn't dispel.

"What on earth!" they heard, everyone turned around to see Merak standing there looking stunned, more specifically at Garon.

* * *

It was with great fortune that none of the townspeople were killed and though many have lost their homes it wasn't anything they couldn't recover from. With the death of Colewell and his men the people were free from his tyranny. However now there was the problem of finding a replacement to govern the town; Merak being the only one qualified for the job it would have been a no brainer, but Corrin was reluctant to choose him, with a big name such as his it would attract too much attention, even the fact there was a need for a replacement was alarming enough. Luckily Garon had come up with a solution, remain silent, since this was such a small town they shouldn't say or do anything otherwise they would draw unwanted attention; therefore all they should do is to pretend nothing has happened and get rid of all the evidence. And as to who would govern the town, it would be left to its people. Much to Corrin's relief, there were no complaints, the people were happy that they could at least take control of their own lives. Now all that was left was to clear up the air.

"So that is what happened…" Merak whispered. They were deep in the woods, a place where nobody could eavesdrop. Corrin stood some ways back leaning against a tree waiting for Garon and Merak to finish their conversation.

"Yeah…" Garon remained stoic, the man he considered his sworn brother was standing right before him, he should feel ecstatic but for some reason he just couldn't, this void in his heart was holding him back. "How have you been?" he decided to ask. Merak paused not wanting to answer immediately, he was still having a tough time accepting the truth, it was all just so bizarre.

"I've… I've been doing fine" he started. "Ever since _that incident_ " he made a gesture and Garon looked down almost like he was hurting. "Ever since then I've been doing some traveling. I met Sayako during my journey, we fell in love and we decided to move here and live our life in peace" he chuckled. "But look how that turned out"

"I'm sorry for involving you in this mess" Garon felt genuinely bad, after all it had been his idea to come here; Merak waved him off.

"It is alright, though I really have to thank you for getting rid of Colewell. He was a big nuisance" his response made Garon frown, it was subtle that he hoped Merak didn't notice, but he did. "Does it still hurt?" he asked. Garon looked up at his friend.

"What do you mean? I can't get hurt in this form" but Merak shook his head.

"The wound over your heart" eyes widening Garon struggled to find an answer. "I still remember the look in your eyes when we clashed blades. Your pain, I saw it all" Merak smiled warmly at him. "I never blamed you, I never have" Garon's lips cracked into a sad smile.

"Thank you…" he was thankful for his friend's words but he still couldn't forgive himself; with everything he and his old companions built, he was the one who destroyed it all; to satisfy the people in his court he banished and pushed all his friends away, over the years he hated himself for that, and over time that self-loathing developed into something malicious.

"In fact..." Merak started to say; Garon looked up into Merak's piercing gaze, the man's grief was seeping out. "I should be the one to apologize" Garon was of course stunned, of all the people to be apologizing Merak was the last one to be doing so.

"What are you saying, I was the one in the wrong"

"Yes, but I knew you were suffering and I didn't do anything to help you, it was no different from abandoning you…" Merak started rambling. "I guess I was afraid to face you after leaving…"

"Merak" Garon's voice was firm breaking the man out of his trance. "Understand that you did nothing wrong; and I am glad you left me when you did otherwise you would have been a victim to Anankos" once again there was an awkward silence, and before they knew it, the two burst into laughter.

"It's good to see you again Merak" Garon said through stifled laughs.

"It's good to see you as well Garon" as the two calmed Merak crossed his arms looking over at the trees. "The boy Corrin, he's quite the interesting one"

"He certainly is, still rough around the edges but he'll make a fine commander one day" Merak had to agree, just the way the young Prince presented himself, his way of thinking, his speech and his fighting skills, he's only seen small snippets of them, he was still thoroughly impressed. "Are you still against joining our cause?" Garon asked.

"With everything you've told me it certainly has changed things; we must stop Anankos from destroying our kingdom" Garon was sensing a 'but'. "But, for the time being I want to stay here and help the people rebuild"

"I see…" disappointed Garon glanced over to where he knew Corrin was standing.

"However in my place you should take my son with you"

"Your son?" Garon questioned, Merak nodded.

"I know my boy has already requested to join you and though he may not be a fighter, he is an impressive inventor" the word inventor reached Corrin's ears, his interest suddenly peaking.

"I am certain that his skills will be of great benefit for you and your troops" Garon didn't need to consider anything because he knew Corrin has already made his decision and besides he knew he could trust his old friend's words. He chucked nodding his head.

"Very well".

* * *

A day had passed and the residence of Fielton actually seemed happier than before. They had all gathered at the townsgate to send Corrin and his group off. Corrin had to admit, even though they weren't able to achieve their objective they were still able to work towards their cause; indirectly, they removed a corrupted noble from power and got rid of other oppressors. Corrin was even able to meet the person behind his mother's murder; his anger would rise just thinking about the Queen, and when that happened he would always think back to Azura, he felt there was something she wasn't telling him; the old woman sat quietly in the carriage obviously deep in thought, he hasn't spoken to her at all since the attack but he would when they returned.

"Do you have all your belongings?" Sayako could be heard speaking to Henri.

"Yes mother" Henri answered.

"Are you sure you are going to be alright?" his mother asked once more.

"I'm going to be fine mom, I want to do this" he told her once again, Sayako bit her lip, she has always been the worrying type, and it only just dawned on her that her boy was actually going to be leaving home. Merak grasped his wife's shoulder gently squeezing it giving her reassurance.

"Promise us you will stay safe Henri" he told his son, Henri nodded. Sayako hugged her son, she teared up; when they broke apart Merak stepped forward to hug his son as well.

With their farewells the group set off, Laslow and Odin rode alongside Henri the three talking among themselves, it was pretty incredible how fast they had become acquainted, it may have been because Odin had heard about some of Henri's inventions that alone got the conversation going. Corrin smiled at them, he was riding at the back, glad his new recruit was settling in nicely. Speaking of which his men back in the Northern Fortress, he needed to plan a training schedule for them, there was going to be some reforming to do. His hand moved over to his pouch and he pulled on his reins stopping his horse.

"What's the matter?" Selena asked.

"I'm going to go see if I can get my two hundred gold back!" he called while racing back to town. Selena's face twisted into disbelief.

"Are you serious?!" she screamed. "You still haven't let that go?" she chased after him leaving everyone in the dust and absolutely confused.

"I am literally broke right now, if I can get that gold back we can at least eat a decent meal on the way back!" he told her; Selena of course groaned.

"One of these days Lord Corrin! One of these days you are going to make me punch you for your idiocy!" Corrin laughed.

"I'll consider that as an accomplishment Selena!" now Selena's face was as red as her hair.

"You are by far the most insufferable man I have ever met!"


End file.
